Juicy herb-packed meatballs, smothered in rich marinara and melty mozzarella, and tucked into a toasty hoagie bun for a cravable comfort meal at home.
There’s something so comforting about a classic meatball sub sandwich. The tender, herby meat, bold marinara, and melty mozzarella is a trio made better only by stuffing them inside a toasty hoagie roll.
With just enough breadcrumbs and eggs to hold everything together, each beefy meatball is juicy, tender, and loaded with earthy flavor from fresh herbs, garlic, and shallots. Baking them until just cooked, then simmering each meatball in a skillet of marinara, makes sure every bite is full of juicy flavor. For a spicy kick to your subs, you can swap marinara for arrabiata sauce, which is just as delicious.
While these meatball subs are quick and easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner, you can easily double the batch of meatballs and freeze them for later so you’re always just minutes away from a bistro-quality lunch or dinner.
How to Make a Meatball Sub
Ingredients
Meatball Process
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together until just combined.
- Using meat mixture, roll 3 tablespoon sized meatballs (about 2 ounces each) until all the mixture has been used.
- Line meatballs onto a baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until just barely cooked through.
- Simmer marinara sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs, turning to coat. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Assembly Process
- Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce into each split baguette. Fill each with meatballs and top with more sauce.
- Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and is bubbling. Top with grated Parmesan and serve.
Why We Love Our Meatball Sub Recipe!
- Fresh ingredients add up to big flavor. Meatballs aren’t complicated, but using freshly chopped herbs like thyme, oregano, and basil, along with shallots and garlic, infuses every bite with fresh, earthy flavor that’s impossible to forget about.
- Oven-baked and simmered for easy flavor. Baking the meatballs first, until just barely cooked through, then simmering them in a skillet of warm marinara makes for quick and easy cooking and keeps all the juicy flavor right where it needs to be.
- Quick, easy, and meal-preppable. Taking just 35 minutes from start to finish, you can make these meatball subs any night of the week. Or, you can make a double or triple batch of meatballs and freeze them for later for an easy 15-minute dinner.
Prep and Storage Instructions
For Meatballs
Make the meatballs ahead of time. You can roll and bake the meatballs up to two days in advance. Out of the oven, let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, warm them in marinara sauce on the stove until heated through and continue with the rest of the recipe.
Freeze the meatballs for later. To make and freeze your meatballs, bake them as directed, then let them cool completely before arranging them, evenly spaced apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for two to four hours, or until mostly frozen, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep for up to three months in the freezer.
Reheat meatballs from frozen. Thaw frozen meatballs overnight in the fridge, then simmer in marinara until hot, as directed. You can also reheat straight from frozen, just simmer in the sauce for a few extra minutes.
Store leftover meatballs. The ingredients will keep best if stored separately in the refrigerator and assembled just before eating. But, if you have already assembled and baked your meatball subs, you can store them, cooled and wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to one day. Reheat them by preheating the oven to 350˚F and baking them until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
For the BEST meatball subs, follow our tried and true tips:
- Don’t overmix the meat. You want everything to just come together so that the meatballs stay tender, not tough.
- To keep the meatballs uniform in size, use a cookie scoop.
- Don’t overbake the meatballs. By baking them until they’re just about done (160˚F or just over), you’ll avoid overbaking, which can dry them out. Simmering them in marinara on the stove should make the internal temperature reach 165˚F while keeping the meatballs tender and moist.
- Use fresh herbs if you can for the best flavor. But, because know know fresh herbs aren’t always available, you can sub them for a dried herbs (using 1 teaspoon dried oregano and basil and 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme).
What to Serve with Our Meatball Sub
For a complete meal, serve these sub sandwiches with:
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Meatball Sub Recipe
Juicy herb-packed meatballs, smothered in rich marinara and melty mozzarella, and tucked into a toasty hoagie bun for a cravable comfort meal at home.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
meatballs
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together until just combined.
Using meat mixture, roll 3 tablespoon sized meatballs (about 2 ounces each) until all the mixture has been used.
Line meatballs onto a baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until just barely cooked through.
Simmer marinara sauce in a skillet over medium heat.
Add meatballs, turning to coat. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
to assemble
Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce into each split hoagie. Fill each with meatballs and top with more sauce.
Top with shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and is bubbling.
Top with grated Parmesan.
Serve with extra marinara on the side for dipping.
NOTES
- Don’t overmix the meat. You want everything to just come together so that the meatballs stay tender, not tough.
- To keep the meatballs uniform in size, use a cookie scoop.
- Don’t overbake the meatballs. By baking them until they’re just about done (160˚F or just over), you’ll avoid overbaking, which can dry them out. Simmering them in marinara on the stove should make the internal temperature reach 165˚F while keeping the meatballs tender and moist.
- Use fresh herbs if you can for the best flavor. But, because know know fresh herbs aren’t always available, you can sub them for a dried herbs (using 1 teaspoon dried oregano and basil and 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme).
Calories: 1020kcal Carbohydrates: 60g Protein: 71g Fat: 55g Saturated Fat: 23g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 20g Trans Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 288mg Sodium: 3871mg Potassium: 1622mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 15g Vitamin A: 1799IU Vitamin C: 22mg Calcium: 506mg Iron: 20mg
CUISINE: American-Italian
KEYWORD: meatball recipe, sandwich recipe
COURSE: dinner, lunch, Main Course, main dish
