This Meatball Sub is filled with juicy, tender homemade meatballs that have been simmered in a delicious marinara sauce, loaded into a toasted bun and topped off with melty Italian cheese.
Pair these subs with this Italian salad, a fruit salad, or this cucumber salad.
The Best Meatball Sub
Meatball subs, a favorite of my boys, are versatile and crowd-pleasing. Ideal for group meals, they can be made with beef or turkey meatballs.
Using store-bought marinara and making a big batch of crockpot meatballs simplifies preparation, making them a convenient choice for various meals throughout the week.
Ingredients
- Yellow Onion & Garlic: Add flavor and moisture to the meatballs.
- Milk & Panko Crumbs: Help to bind the meatballs and keep them moist.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a savory, cheesy flavor.
- Dried Oregano & Fresh Parsley: Provide herbs for seasoning.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the meatballs together.
- Ground Beef: The main ingredient of the meatballs.
- Salt & Pepper: Enhance overall flavor in your meatball sub.
- Olive Oil: Used for cooking meatballs and brushing rolls.
- Marinara Sauce: Adds a rich, tomato-based flavor to the dish.
- Sub Rolls: Serve as the base for the sandwich.
- Provolone or Italian Cheese Blend: Adds a creamy, melted topping.
How To Make Meatball Subs
- Prepare Meatballs: Combine grated onion, milk, panko crumbs, Parmesan, minced garlic, oregano, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, and ground beef. Form into balls.
- Cook Meatballs: Brown meatballs in olive oil in a skillet, then simmer in marinara sauce until cooked through.
- Prepare Rolls: Brush sub rolls with olive oil and toast in the oven.
- Assemble Subs: Place meatballs and sauce on rolls, top with cheese, and broil until cheese is melted.
- Serve: Optionally garnish with basil and enjoy hot.
Expert Tips
Storage
Storage And Reheating Your Meatball Sub
- Store Separately: Keep meatballs and sauce separate from the bread to avoid sogginess.
- Reheat Assembled Subs: If already assembled, wrap in foil and reheat in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes to prevent further toasting.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
- Margherita Pizza
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- Chimichurri Chicken
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Pesto Couscous Bowls
Meatball Subs
This Meatball Sub is filled with juicy, tender homemade meatballs that have been simmered in a delicious marinara sauce, loaded into a toasted bun and topped off with melty Italian cheese.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup yellow onion grated on a cheese grater
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated (on a microplane if possible)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced (on a microplane if possible)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound ground beef
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated (plus more for brushing on the rolls)
- 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
- 6 crusty sub rolls
- 1 and 1/2 cups shredded Provolone or Italian 4-cheese blend (or to taste, add as much cheese as you'd like)
- Shredded basil optional
Instructions
- MEATBALLS: Using the large holes on a cheese grater, finely grate the onion. Add to a large bowl along with the milk, panko, Parmesan cheese, ground beef, minced garlic, dried oregano, fresh parsley, egg, and salt and pepper to taste (I add about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper). Mix until ingredients are combined. Add in the ground beef and fold with your hands until combined. Handle as little as possible and don't overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough.
- MEATBALLS, CONTINUED: Measure out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and gently form a ball. Repeat with all of the meat mixture. You should get around 22-25 meatballs. Make sure they are all about the same size so they'll cook evenly.
- COOK: In a large nonstick skillet, add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat to medium high and then add in about 1/2 of the meatballs. Gently turn the meatballs over and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until they are browned all over (but not cooked through). Remove to a plate. And another 1 and 1/2 tablespoons oil and repeat with the rest of the meatballs. Remove all meatballs to the plate.
- COOK CONTINUED: In the same skillet, add the entire jar of marinara sauce. Return the cooked meatballs to the pan and stir to cover them with the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer for 8-12 minutes, turning every now and again, or until completely cooked through (food thermometer registers 165 degrees F).
- ROLLS: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the rolls in half lengthwise and brush with olive oil. Place on a large tray and bake for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
- ASSEMBLE: Remove subs from the oven and set the oven temperature to high BROIL. Pile meatballs and sauce onto sub rolls -- 3 to 4 meatballs per sandwich. Top with shredded cheese and place under the broiler to melt cheese (watch carefully-- it only takes 1-2 minutes). Top with shredded basil and enjoy hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 773mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 584IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 13mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing and easy I have very picky eaters and they loved it
So glad to hear that! 🙂
I made these for supper yesterday. They were excellent. My son said he didnt even like meatballs but loved these. Left with some for his supper tonight. Your shrimp tacos are also excellent. Look forward to trying more of your recipes!!
So thrilled to hear these were a hit and glad you enjoyed the shrimp tacos 🙂 Thanks for the comment and review!
This looks delicious and super easy! Can’t wait to try this soon.
Yay!! Can’t wait for you to try it! 🙂
These are excellent! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I want to make these and freeze them to have one hand once my second baby comes in a few weeks, but I’m trying to figure out if I should freeze them prior to cooking them in the sauce or just freeze them after that?
Thanks so much Emily, glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 I haven’t personally frozen these meatballs, but I think these steps should help! https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Meatballs good luck and CONGRATS on the second! 🙂
Perfect dinner idea!
Thank you!
This is always a hit!
So happy to hear it! 🙂
What a great idea for dinner! Haven’t made these for my family before; they will love this! Delish!
These subs are life!
Oh my, these meatball subs incredible!! A must try!
great summer recipe, thank you and love Rao’s marinara sauce already,
Isn’t it the best?! Thanks!