Easy Italian Meatball Subs with homemade meatballs, baked and topped with a simple Italian marinara sauce on a toasted bun with melted cheese.
My husband would quickly tell you this is his favorite meal I make. That’s high praise from a man who’s been taste-tester to hundreds of recipes I’ve made and shared here. They really are that good! I like to serve meatball subs with a vegetable, or salad like this Classic Wedge Salad and a fresh fruit bowl.
I couldn’t tell you which is better in this recipe, the homemade meatballs, or the homemade meatball sub sauce! Both are super easy and fast to make, and both taste amazing!! Both can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge, or made as a freezer meal.
How to make Meatball Subs:
- In a large bowl combine the saltine crackers, beef broth, egg, and spices (everything EXCEPT for the meat and flour). Stir and rest for 10 minutes so the crackers can soak up the liquid.
- Add the ground meat and mix just until combined (don’t over mix).
- Form 15 meatballs, dredge them lightly in flour and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake meatballs or 20 -25 minutes or until cooked through.
- Make the Italian Meatball Sauce. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, and garlic salt to a saucepan and stir to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Prepare the rolls/hoagies. Slice the hoagie in half and top with provolone cheese. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted. Remove from oven.
6. Assemble. Place 3 meatballs on each sub, followed by a large spoonful of sauce. Serve immediately.
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.
How to freeze meatballs:
To freeze cooked meatballs, allow them to cool completely after baking, then store in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or warm meatballs in sauce on the stove.
Uncooked/raw meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months. After making the meatballs and assembling them into small balls, store them in a freezer container bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking as instructed.
Consider trying these popular dinner recipes:
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Italian Grilled Cheese
- Gourmet Baked Mac N Cheese with Bacon
- Crispy BBQ Chicken Wraps
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Italian Meatball Subs
Video
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1/2 cup saltine crackers , crushed
- 1/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 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 I use lean, or substitute lean ground turkey
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour , for dredging
For the sandwiches
- 5 hoagies or sub rolls
- 10 slices Provolone cheeses , or mozzarella
For the sauce
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
Homemade Italian Meatballs:
- In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT for the meat. Stir and rest for 10 minutes so the crackers can soak up the liquid. Add the meat and mix just until combined (don't over mix).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Form 15 meatballs, about the size of golf balls, and gently sprinkle them all around with flour.
- Place the meatballs one inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 20 -25 minutes or until cooked through.
- While the meatballs cook, make the sauce.
Meatball sub sauce:
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and stir to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- When the meatballs are finished baking, scrape any grease off the bottom of them and place them in the sauce.
- Slice the hoagie rolls in half and layer with cheese. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted. Remove from oven.
- Place 3 meatballs on each sub, followed by a large spoonful of sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe in June 2014. Updated April 2019.
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Donna says
I loved this dish. And my partner liked it just as much.
Lily says
This is a great recipe! I made it for my family with just a few modifications. I used ground chorizo in place of beef to make spicy pork meatballs (I don’t eat beef), I substituted breadcrumbs for crushed saltines, and I served the meatballs with homemade, straight out of the oven, sourdough. Highly recommend this recipe for a delicious dinner anytime of the year, and it is also very flexible.
durchi says
I don’t normally leave reviews on recipes I try out but I Love this recipe! I just did a few things different but Thank you for this recipe!!! I skipped baking the meatballs in the oven and fried them in a little bit of olive oil in a large pan so I could just skip the extra dishes lol Most of them held up but some did crumble since I was a bit rough with them! After they were browned I added the sauce stuff! but Instead of 28 oz of crushed tomatoes I used 1 can diced and 1 can sauce! I added a little bit more garlic to it than what was called for, and ended up making subs out of a white bread recipe! Turned out delicious!!!! Definitely a recipe worth writing down!!!!
Trina says
This is my husbands favorite!!!! We now make this once a week! Quick and easy to make! 🙂
Megan says
Very Good!!! Easy to make! I used ground turkey, the whole family loved it!
Omar says
These were an ABSOLUTE hit today on Mother’s Day for my wife! We are originally from Ct where subs are on every corner, but here in Az it’s all tacos! I made them exactly to the recipe, only difference is I didn’t flour them and I added meatballs into the sauce when out of the oven.
Rudy says
I was able to make 21 1 inch meatballs with this recipe. It was great for a dinner and some leftovers for my gf and I, one tip in my opinion too many red pepper flakes, the amount suggested made the flavor overpowering. We both like spicy foods but all we could taste with every bite was red pepper, if someone wanted to make this i suggest cutting the measurement in half to make it perfect. Also when preparing this yourselves do much smaller amounts of flour at a time and refill if needed,, i had to throw away nearly 1/2 a cup of flour. Will try again with these suggestions myself in the future.
Amber says
I made the meatballs tonight! I cheated & didn’t do the sauce. I used Rao’s marinara sauce that I spiced up with Italian seasoning & garlic. My boys said it was the best meatball subs they’ve ever had! Thanks for the recipe!! Definitely a keeper!
Kristen B. says
I’ve made and eaten a lot of meatballs in my life and these are some of the best and easiest to make. My whole family loved the subs, even my persnickety children. So glad I found this recipe!