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What's not to love about this easy Meatball Subs recipe with flavorful meatballs served in a toasted bun with melted provolone cheese and marinara sauce? Easy and delicious!
Meatball Subs to the rescue.
Meatball Subs to the rescue.Anyone looking for a crowd-pleasing dinner recipe (no matter the age or size of the crowd) could confidently settle on Meatball Subs. I always double the recipe because the meatballs freeze great (raw or cooked), saving me so much time another day. Did I mention everyone LOVES these?
And if serving potluck style you can warm them warm in a crockpot and let people build their own sandwich. We typically serve them with a green side salad, or cucumber salad. Some coleslaw, potato chips or fruit salad would also be great.
Any if you love hot sandwich recipes, try my French Dip, BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, or Sloppy Joes.
How to make Meatball Subs:
Meatball mixture: Mix crushed saltine crackers, beef broth, spices, and egg (everything except the meat and flour) until combined and set aside for 10 minutes so the crackers can soak up the liquid. Add ground meat and mix until incorporated.
Shape and Bake: Divide and form 15 meatballs, then lightly coat each in flour and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
Make Sauce: Combine crushed tomatoes, oregano, sugar, basil, and garlic salt in a saucepan then stir to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Assemble: Slice each hoagie roll in half and lay provolone cheese on top. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted. Arrange 3 meatballs on each sub and spoon sauce on top. Serve meatball subs immediately.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Store cooked meatballs in sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days until you are ready to rewarm and assemble meatball sandwich recipe. Sauce can be made several days in advance and raw meatballs could also be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days until ready to cook.
To Freeze: You can freeze the meatballs raw or cooked: flash freeze them uncovered on a parchment lined baking sheet for an hour, then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before baking or rewarming. The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More Sandwich Recipes:
- Patty Melt
- Egg Salad Sandwich
- Greek Burgers with Feta Aioli
- Pizza Sliders
- Meatloaf Sandwich
- Pimento Cheese BLT
- Lobster Roll
Italian Meatball Subs
Ingredients
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
- 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 lean ground beef, or ground turkey
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, , for dredging
Sandwiches:
- 5 hoagies or sub rolls
- 10 slices Provolone cheese, , or mozzarella
Sauce:
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Meatballs: In a large bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT for the meat; saltines, beef broth, parley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, crushed red pepper. 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 oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet, or line with aluminum 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.
- Sauce: Add sauce ingredients to a saucepan and stir to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. When the meatballs are finished baking, transfer them to the sauce.
- Assemble: Slice the hoagie rolls in half and layer each with 2 slices 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*I originally shared this recipe in June 2014. Updated April 2019, October 2021 and January 2025.
I made it for my husband because thata the type of meal he likes but I ended up loving it too! It’s different, the sauce is delicious, and the cheese takes it to another level.
Soooo Gooooodddd!
How do I get the sauce not to stick to pan when I
heat it up?
We are so glad you loved these meatball subs! Did you overheat the pan by chance? Just heat the sauce on medium heat then switch to low to let it simmer. Usually sauces only stick on my pans when I over-heat the pan.
Better than subway. I made the subs into garlic bread for extra yumminess!
I’ve made this recipe several times and I love it! However, tonight I made and had some people stop by and they said dinner smelt amazing. Both people tried it and requested the recipe! Definitely a keeper!
I LOVE this recipe. I’ll triple the meatball recipe using 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound turkey, 1 pound mild Italian sausage. I also sub saltines for Ritz crackers, simply because the first time I made this recipe that’s what I had on hand. My family loved it so much, so I didn’t bother switching to saltines. These meatballs are the best; I like to bake and freeze them ahead of time and pull them out for my kiddos to have spaghetti and meatballs while the adults enjoy this recipe as Italian meatball subs.
Delicious! My picky son loved the meatballs. Thank you, Lauren, for your wonderful recipes and for sharing!!
The whole family loved this meatball sub recipe! Easy to make and great for leftovers. My teenager responded … “Can you please make this when my friends come over”!
My kids love it and used to eat at school so I made it at home they freaking exciting
Okay so I put cayenne instead of red pepper flakes and added some hot sauce and these are absolutely amazing
Ingredient list includes marjoram but I don’t see it listed in directions. Does it go in sauce or meatballs?
Hi Kathi! I don’t see Marjoram listed in the ingredients. Are you using a meal plan perhaps?