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Italian Meatball Subs

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Italian Meatball Subs are homemade meatballs topped with a simple Italian marinara sauce on a toasted bun with melted mozzarella cheese!

Italian Meatball Subs recipe from TastesBetterFromScratch.com

I couldn’t tell you which is better in this recipe– the homemade meatballs, or the homemade sauce!  Both are super easy and fast to make, and both taste amazing!! After eating this for dinner, my husband claimed these Italian Meatball Subs were his new favorite meal (which made me laugh because it is such a “guy” meal 🙂 )

Italian Meatball Sub

My husband went on, and on, and on about how much he loved these and he praised me for the rest of the night–all the while I was thinking to myself how funny that he had no idea how dang easy this meal was to make 🙂 But I also really loved these. The sauce is fantastic and the meatballs have the perfect blend of spices. Plus they’re layered on a cheesy, toasted bun–what’s better than that?!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s totally freezer friendly. I like to make a big batch of the meatballs and freeze half of them after they’re baked. You could even freeze the sauce if you wanted.

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5 from 1 vote
Italian Meatball Sub
Italian Meatball Subs
Print Recipe
Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Homemade meatballs and Italian sauce on a toasted, cheesy bun.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: italian meatball recipe, meatball sub
Unit: clove, cup, large, ounce can, pound, slice, Tablespoon, teaspoon
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 585 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
For the meatballs
  • 1/2 cup saltine crackers , crushed
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or mozzarella cheese)
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
  • 1 large egg , lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
  • 1 clove garlic , finely minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour , for dredging
For the sandwiches
  • 4 hoagies or sub rolls
  • slice mozzarella cheese
For the sauce
  • 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Meatballs
  1. In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT for the meat. Let mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the crackers can soak up some of the liquid. Add the meat and mix until well combined.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Form 12-15 meatballs with your hands, about the size of golf balls, and gently sprinkle them all around with flour.
  3. Place the meatballs one inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 20 -25 minutes or until cooked through.
  4. While the meatballs cook, make the homemade sauce.
For the sauce
  1. In a medium saucepan combine the sauce ingredients. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Assembly
  1. When the meatballs are finished baking, scrape any grease off the bottom of them and place them in the sauce. Slice the hoagies and layer with mozzarella cheese. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Place 2-3 meatballs on each sub, followed by a large spoonful of sauce.
Recipe Notes

*The meatballs work great frozen! I like to double the batch, bake them all, and then place half in the freezer for another meal.

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Nutrition Facts
Italian Meatball Subs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 585 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 972mg 41%
Potassium 515mg 15%
Total Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 2g
Protein 39g 78%
Vitamin A 3.8%
Vitamin C 1.5%
Calcium 21.1%
Iron 28.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

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Comments

  5. I have made these for dinner. The kitchen smells marvelous. Since we are low carbing, I am serving these with the cheese topping and the sauce only.
    I am going to serve them with a veggie on the side and a salad. I can hardly wait.

    Reply

  7. Made these tonight for a great drizzly fall evening dinner….we’re fantastic (I did use beef consummate instead of broth as that’s what I had on hand)Found you on Pinterest I’m so glad I did thank you for an excellent dinner

    Reply

  9. Just made this. I used 1/4 cup of flour instead of 3/4, otherwise, I followed recipe exact. Excellent.

    Reply

  10. These meatballs are wonderful. I’ve already made it twice and have frozen them so I have meatballs anytime I want. They smell fantastic

    Reply

  11. This is one of my families very favorite recipe! I have made them many many times! Just wanted to hop on and say THANK YOU!

    Reply

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