One of my favorite memories of childhood and grade school lies in the cafeterias that served these delicious Italian dunkers! I remember how I would always look forward to lunchtime when these were on the menu. It was served as a larger piece of French bread that I can vividly recall dunking into the marinara sauce. It was so delicious!
I’m sure we can all agree that school food was not always IT but this was definitely a HIT! It amazes me that it took so many years into my adulthood before I learned how to make them myself. This recipe requires minimal ingredients and minimal effort, just how I like it.
Honestly, I don’t remember if the marinara sauce was served with ground beef in it but I think it’s necessary to make this a more hearty meal. Of course you can opt out especially if you’re vegetarian and it’ll still be good!
If I’m really hungry, I’ll add a side to this dish which usually will consist of a salad loaded with different veggies and eggs. This recipe can be served as a main course or appetizer. If you like this dish, check out my Good Ol’ Rich Spaghetti recipe which shares a similar hearty sauce.
Cafeteria Style Italian Dunkers
Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 loaf of French bread
8 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of garlic butter
1 lb of ground beef
Marinara sauce
- Garlic Butter:
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 tsp of basil leaves
1/4 tsp of oregano leaves
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
- Marinara Dip:
24 oz jar of marinara
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp of black pepper
Directions
- Start with the marinara dip- preheat a large skillet over medium heat then add 1/2 tbsp of of olive oil.
- After 2-3 mins, add in the ground beef and stir evenly into oil and add seasonings: garlic powder, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Stir well.
- Then add in the marinara sauce and mix it evenly into the ground beef. Turn the heat to low and let it cook while you work on the dunkers.
- First, make the garlic butter- in a small bowl, add the butter, basil, oregano and garlic powder then microwave it for 15 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and gently mix then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the French bread in half (length-wise) then slice it in half again (width-wise).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the garlic butter onto the bread.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the bread, add EXTRA cheese if you want it super cheesy.
- Put it in the oven and let it bake for 10 mins before removing and slicing into sections.
- Now it’s time to serve with a side of the meaty marinara sauce, enjoy!
