Meatball Stuffed Garlic Bread
1 garlic head, top removed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 batch Gina's Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
1 large Italian loaf
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the cut garlic head and place in the oven, cut side down. Bake for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the meatballs. Use Tuttorosso Crushed tomatoes to make the meatballs.
While the meatballs cook, cut the top off the loaf of bread and hollow out the center. Squeeze the softened garlic into the butter and mix with two tablespoons of the parsley. Spread over the inside of the loaf and the cut top piece. Place the bread in the oven for 10 minutes to partially toast the bread and melt the garlic butter.
Once the meatballs are ready, spoon them into the hollowed bread.
Sprinkle the top of the meatballs with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the cut top piece.
Place the bread back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Broil for the last 3 minutes of cooking.
Sprinkle with remaining parsley and place the cut top piece of bread back on the loaf. Cut into slices and serve immediately.