Dissolve yeast & sugar in lukewarm water & allow to sit a few minutes until frothy. Add oil, salt, & 2 1/2 cups flour, beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining 1/2 cup flour to form a stiff dough..
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover: let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
Punch down the dough. Divide the dough into 18 pieces. Pinch the ends of each dough piece together in the center. Place seam side down. Use the palm of your hand to gently roll each dough ball until smooth and round.
Place the dough balls in a parchment lined baking dish. Cover & allow rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Lightly brush with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove rolls to a wire rack.
Meatballs
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the meatballs & mix well. Divide mixture into 18 meatballs & place on a foil lined baking tray. Bake 35 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove from oven & set aside.
White Sauce
In a saucepan, cook butter & flour until bubbly. Slowly add broth & cream; boil for a FEW minutes, add soy, salt & pepper. Set aside.
Assemble & Bake
Hollow out the top of each roll with a sharp knife. The hole will need to be slightly bigger than the meatballs, but not so deep that you puncture the bottom.
Set the rolls into a 9×13″ baking pan which has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Whisk together garlic butter ingredients. Using the back of a teaspoon, liberally smear the holes of the dinner rolls with the garlic butter. Use all of the butter evenly into each dinner roll.
Spoon about a tablespoon of the prepared sauce into each of the hollowed out dinner rolls. Place a cooked meatball into each hole. Top each meatball with the remaining sauce mixture. Evenly distribute the cheese over each of the dinner rolls. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven.
Using a sharp knife, slice between each dinner roll. Garnish with parsley if you wish.
Recipe Notes
For a QUICK & EASY meal use:
12 (store bought) dinner rolls
12 frozen meatballs, cooked
FOR SAUCE:
1/2 cup dried tomato paste
2 cups marinara sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
NOTE: I found for the original recipe it was easier to make the meatballs & sauce first, then the rolls. Just a suggestion!