Meat Sauce over French Bread (which is a title I had to make up since it's a recipe I made up)

I posted a recipe for freezable meat sauce awhile ago & mentioned (as another dinner option) you could serve this meat sauce over french bread & topped with mozzarella cheese. We made it tonight & I wanted to share the results! :)

Paired with a salad it's a yummy, super-quick meal.



Defrost meat sauce. (I used 2 cups for 1/2 french loaf above.)

Heat meat sauce through in microwave or stovetop while hollowing out french loaf.

This is where I went wrong tonight! I cut the loaf in half before hollowing it out. Bad idea - it totally fell apart when we tried to cut it.

Use a whole loaf, just cut off the top third & then hollow out about an inch down. Leave at least half the french bread loaf intact at the bottom for stability.

Partially hollow out loaf of french bread.

Spoon meat sauce into hollowed-out bread & mound it up a bit.




Top with slices of mozzarella cheese (or grated).

Bake 15 minutes at 400*. Serve immediately.

(FYI - Above you see 1/2 french bread with just pizza sauce & cheese for my picky eaters)

Here's the original meat sauce recipe:


I have this meat sauce in my freezer all the time. When I make it, I make 1-2 extra batches & freeze them flat in Ziploc bags. Just pull one out of the freezer in the morning & serve that night for dinner. Love the convenience! Love the taste too! :)

FREEZABLE MEAT SAUCE
1 pound ground turkey (I've never tried ground beef)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion (for a mild onion, use 1/2 cup - for a stronger onion, use 1/4 cup)
1 T fresh minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
4 cups spaghetti sauce (your favorite)
1/4 cup water

Brown ground turkey in a large skillet. Halfway through browning, add chopped onion. Cook until turkey is thoroughly browned & onion is translucent.

Stir in garlic & beans. Add salt & pepper sparingly. (just a few shakes is plenty - or none at all)

Pour in spaghetti sauce & stir to mix well. Only add water if sauce looks too thick - never more than 1/4 cup. Bring to soft boil.

Cover & reduce heat.
Simmer for 15 minutes and serve!


TO FREEZE:
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Spoon into gallon-size Ziploc bag. Push out all the air, seal & lay flat in freezer. On a cookie sheet is great, but on top of something flat like a pizza or pie box is good too.
Once frozen, you can stand it upright & it takes up less than an inch of space.

FOR VEGGIE OPTION:I've used portabella mushrooms, sliced or roughly chopped, instead of the ground turkey. I'm not a mushroom fan, but it was really good!