These Easy Meatball Subs are the ultimate comfort food scaled down to a balanced proportion size. I give you the option of making homemade meatballs or using frozen meatballs for your meatball sandwiches.
🥰 Why You'll Love These Homemade Meatball Subs
- Easy, cozy, comfort food the whole family will love!
- These are not the HUGE subs you're used to. Each sub is about 330 calories. Have one with chips, or go for seconds.
- Choose between making your own homemade meatballs or using frozen meatballs.
If you are looking for more meatball recipes, you need to check out these Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs! They are so goo paired with pasta or garlic bread.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Ground Beef - You'll want to use 95% lean ground beef, so you won't have to drain any grease from the pan.
Panko Bread Crumbs and an Egg- These ingredients help bind the meatballs together.
Garlic - You can use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of 2 garlic cloves.
Italian Seasoning & Salt - Seasons the meatballs.
Red Pepper Flakes- Adds a little bit of heat, but not a lot.
Olive Oil - Helps to brown the meatballs.
Mozzarella Cheese - I chose to go with mozzarella, but you can also use provolone cheese, or a mixture of both.
Hot Dog Buns - These are the perfect-sized sub rolls.
Marinara Sauce - Use your favorite pasta sauce.
Full ingredient list with quantities in the recipe card below!
How to Make Meatball Sub Sandwiches
Step 1: Mix together all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Make 24 meatballs.
Step 2: Brown the meatballs in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Add marinara sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160F.
Step 4: Add 3 meatballs to each bun. Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella. Set the baking sheet under the broiler, until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.
Use Frozen Meatballs for Meatball Sub
If you are using frozen meatballs, heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it starts to simmer, add in the meatballs and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the meatballs are warm, about 25 minutes.
Sides
- Caesar Salad (you can buy a salad kit at the store!)
- Potato Chips
- Potato Salad
- Pasta Salad
- Fresh Fruit
How to Store Leftovers
If you don't need to make 8 meatball sandwiches tonight, only make the sandwiches you need, and store the meatballs and sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To make your sandwiches: warm up the meatballs and sauce in the microwave, assemble our sandwiches, then broil in the oven un till the cheese has melted.
Easy Weeknight Meatball Sub
Ingredients
Homemade Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef 95% lean
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
Meatball Subs
- 24 meatballs homemade or frozen
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cup marinara sauce
- 8 hot dog buns
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella
Instructions
If Your Making Meatballs
- Mix all the ingredients for homemade meatballs in a large bowl. Form 24 meatballs.
- Add oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add in meatballs. Turn the meatballs every minute or so to brown the outside.
- Once the meatballs are brown, turn the heat to low and slowly add the marinara sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160F.
If You're Using Frozen Meatballs
- Heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the sauce starts to simmer, add in the meatballs and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the meatballs are warm, about 25 minutes.
To Make the Meatball Subs
- While the meatballs are cooking, place the buns on a baking sheet and position the top rack in your oven 6" inches below the broiler.
- Preheat the broiler. Add 3 meatballs to each roll. Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella. Set the baking sheet under the broiler and cook until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful the buns don't burn.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and may vary based on the ingredients used.
Christy says
Love this! The only thing I change is I use hoagies (homemade but you could buy them) because the hotdog buns got soggy from the sauce.
Ash says
The family loved these!
Jodi says
My family loved this recipe! I used frozen meatballs and it made for a super fast and tasty meal!
Christy says
These are so good and so easy! One of the rare meals that all six of us enjoyed! They might be better with actual sub bread, as the hotdog buns got a little soggy, but the hotdog buns were definitely easier and the perfect size if you're not a big eater.
Austria L Morris says
delicious and simple
Paul says
I will add this to my Saturday rotation in which I call Simple Saturday. Something quick and easy.