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If you’re making meatballs, you need to try my Meatball Sub recipe. Complete with juicy homemade meatballs (or from frozen, if you want!), a delicious meatball sauce, and bubbly cheese, this is one meatball hero sandwich I guarantee you’ll want to save your leftovers to make.
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Meatball Hero Sandwich
If you’re keeping up with my blog, I bet you already know how much my husband Ron loves my recipe for Italian meatballs and meatball sauce. It’s safe to say he’s obsessed with this combo, and I can’t blame him at all – it’s delicious.
But, for me, one of the best things about making my homemade meatballs is making this meatball hoagie with the leftovers. Honestly, I usually make extra meatballs just to save for making more subs. It’s true!
What could be better than juicy meatballs in a sub roll, topped with a flavorful sauce and bubbly mozzarella and Parmesan? It’s hard to resist. As simple as this meatball hero sandwich is, it’s always an instant favorite with anyone I serve it to, and I guarantee you’ll love it, too!
This recipe is so delicious. It is now on our weekly rotation. I love using your recipe for Instant Pot meatballs and making a double batch to freeze to use for meatballs subs. Thanks for sharing!
Karen on Pinterest
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Meatball Sandwich Ingredients
- Meatballs: While I would of course recommend trying my homemade meatballs with Italian seasoning, you can also use frozen meatballs or any meatball recipe you prefer.
- Meatball Sauce: I’m using my homemade Sunday gravy, but you can use your favorite homemade or canned sauce if that’s what you have on hand. I recommend a meat sauce (mine is).
- Mozzarella Cheese: While I recommend using a block of mozzarella you shred yourself because it will melt better, you can also use shredded bagged mozzarella.
- Parmesan Cheese: You can use any quality Parm, although I’ll always recommend a higher quality cheese for the best flavor.
- Garlic Butter Sauce: One of the secret ingredients that makes my meatball sub recipe really stand out is the inclusion of my garlic and parsley butter. It is so tasty.
- Deli Roll: Use your favorite sub rolls! I’m a big fan of Publix’s rolls, living in Florida.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley is such a tasty final touch for a sub. It takes away some of the heaviness of the meat by adding a little vibrancy. You can leave it out if you want, but I really recommend it for the pop of flavor it adds.
Meatball Sub Sauce
You can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for this recipe, but my personal recommendation is my meat sauce (listed above in the ingredients). It is packed with so much flavor from Italian seasonings, sausage, and pork bites.
Pour this over top of your baked meatball subs, and you will be blown away by how much it elevates the flavor of the whole sandwich. I really recommend giving it a try – it’s worth the extra effort, and you can make a big batch to enjoy whenever you have a craving!
How to Make a Meatball Sub
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut deli rolls in half and spread garlic butter evenly on the inside of each half.
- Place meatballs in the roll and top with meatball sauce.
- Sprinkle with plenty of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Wrap sandwich with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Open the foil in the last 5 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top of the sandwich.
- Serve with more grated cheese and parsley (optional). Enjoy!
Meatball Sub Recipes Tips
- Trust me when I say you need to make my butter with garlic to pair with this sandwich. It’s just so good.
- To keep the bread soft while the meatball sandwiches bake, you want to wrap them in foil. The bread should stay soft while the cheese melts perfectly. This is a key step to making amazing meatball sandwiches.
- In the last 5 minutes of the baking time, open up the foil to brown the cheese on top of the subs. This adds extra depth of flavor to the subs.
- Switch things up by changing your sandwich toppings and using Korean Meatballs!
Meatball Sandwich Recipes FAQ
I’m using a classic deli hoagie roll for my meatball sandwiches, but any sub roll will do. If you have everything you need but the bread, you can use hotdog buns in a pinch. Just be sure to brush them with the garlic butter.
Meatball sandwiches pair well with mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, and white cheddar. I like using only mozzarella and Parm, but you can switch up the cheeses you use to try something new.
Sandwich Recipes
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Recipe
Meatball Sub Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 3 large meatballs
- 4 Tablespoons meatball sauce
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tablespoons garlic butter sauce to brush on the inside of the roll
- 1 deli roll
- parsley to taste, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut deli roll in half and spread garlic butter evenly on the inside of each half.1 deli roll, 3 Tablespoons garlic butter sauce
- Place meatballs in the roll and top with meatball sauce.3 large meatballs, 4 Tablespoons meatball sauce
- Sprinkle with plenty of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Wrap sandwich with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Open the foil in the last 5 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top of the sandwich.
- Serve with more grated cheese and parsley (optional). Enjoy!parsley
Notes
- Wrap your sandwiches in tin foil to keep the bread soft while they bake.
- In the last 5 minutes of the bake time, open the aluminum foil at the top to brown the cheese.
- Nutrition is calculated using generic meatballs and marinara sauce. Please account for the nutrition of the meatballs and sauce you use!
Mel says
Delicious food!!
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you so much, Mel!