These easy Italian Meatball Subs combine homemade meatballs with marinara sauce and plenty of melted mozzarella on buttered, toasted sub rolls. They are prepared quickly, perfect for busy weeknights when homework, laundry, and after-school activities take precedence.
I love to serve them topped with pickled jalapenos and onion straws, but you can customize them to suit your taste.
I love a good sub sandwich, and these are the best. They are perfect for sleepovers, movie nights, and pool parties. They are fresher than Subway, and you can prepare them with excellent ingredients you control.
My family and friends rave about them; they love it when I fix them. I love to serve these sandwiches with Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Cucumber Tomato Salad, or Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground beef: it is best to use ground beef with a bit of fat in it
- Breadcrumbs: Italian, in a pinch, Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted
- Parmesan cheese: freshly grated is best
- Egg: large one, please
- Seasonings: dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, or basil for garnish.
- Marinara sauce: either jarred or homemade
- Sub rolls: hoagie rolls or French baguettes
- Cheese: mozzarella, provolone, or provel
How to Make Meatball Subs
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete instructions.
Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and roll them into balls. Brown them over medium heat in a large skillet. Remove any excess grease. Add the marinara and simmer the meatballs for about 15 minutes.
Butter and toast the buns. Sprinkle the buns with mozzarella, add the meatballs, and sprinkle with more cheese. Place the subs under the broiler on low until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Top the sandwiches with a bit of parmesan and fresh herbs like parsley and basil.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Use meatless pasta sauce, homemade marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce.
- For full flavor, slather the buns with garlic butter and toast them in the oven.
- Try different cheeses like provel, fontina, or provolone cheese.
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or chopped fresh herbs like Italian parsley, thyme, or red pepper flakes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
Serving Suggestions
- garden salad
- minestrone
- pasta salad
- potato chips or French fries
- creamy coleslaw
- fruit salad
- potato salad
- corn chowder
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe works with both fresh and frozen meatballs. If desired, you can also make this recipe with ground turkey, ground pork, or Italian sausage.
Bake the meatballs on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes if you prefer. Then, spoon the marinara sauce over the meatballs after you add them to the buns.
I like to use fresh submarine rolls or hoagie rolls, but you could also use hot dog buns. Hot dog buns hold about three meatballs, so this recipe goes further.
More Delicious Sandwiches
Best Meatball Sub Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups marinara or pasta sauce
- 4 sub rolls
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley or fresh basil optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, Italian breadcrumbs, Parmesan Cheese, egg, oregano, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meatballs on all sides. Drain any excess grease. Add the marinara sauce to the skillet with the meatballs and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are simmering, split, butter, and toast the sub rolls under the broiler.
- Spread half of the cheese over the bottom of the rolls. Place 5 meatballs in each roll and top with the remainder of the cheese. Broil the sandwiches just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Serve promptly.
Notes
- Use meatless pasta sauce, homemade marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce.
- For full flavor, slather the buns with garlic butter and toast them in the oven.
- Try different cheeses like provel, fontina, or provolone cheese.
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or chopped fresh herbs like Italian parsley, thyme, or red pepper flakes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Cathleen
I LOVE meatball subs, so I was so excited to try this recipe! They were so yummy and easy to make! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Cathleen!
Sara
This was everything a gourmet sandwich should be, and then some! Easy, hearty and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Kim
OOH how yummy! These were a huge hit at our house and the kids asked when I can make them again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kim! So glad that they enjoyed them!
Chenee
These meatball subs were absolutely delicious. I will make them again!
Casey
I’ve always loved meatball subs. They’re one of my favorite weeknight dinners! I will often just make several batches of meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. Then thaw on the day I plan to use them.
Jacquelyn
I made these meatball sandwiches last night for dinner and somehow they turned out fantastic! Everything that could go wrong went wrong! lol. First, due to sheer laziness I purchased prepared meatballs from the butcher dept at my local grocery store. The butcher said the meat was ground rib eye so I assumed (correctly!) that the meatballs would be delicious. They were. While toasting the buns I did not keep an eye on my broiler and kind of burned those first 3 buns. I quickly dumped them off of the baking dish onto my kitchen counter and started fresh with 3 new buns – which I slightly burned again. I dumped them on my counter also to quickly get them off the hot pan. A few minutes later I go to assemble the sandwiches and realized that there was water on my counter so the buns are now a bit soggy and burned! I filled them anyway and once again placed the sandwiches under the broiler – did not burn anything this time! I apologized to the family for the soggy/burned buns and guess what – somehow the sandwiches turned out absolutely fantastic!!!! So so good! Hard to believe! Can’t wait to make again! I might even make my own meatballs this time but then again, the meatballs from my butcher were REALLY good!
Beth Pierce
Oh boy! There was a lot going on there but I am glad to hear that everyone liked them anyway.
Rik
Next to bread crumbs on the ingredients list you have see notes. There isn’t anything in the notes about the bread crumbs however. ??
Beth Pierce
Silly me! I will take a look. Thanks for the heads up!
Lori Loepp
Two months later and still nothing about the bread crumbs in the notes. Curious as to what the notes were, that’s all.
Did we need the bread crumbs? Are they optional?
Beth Pierce
Sorry, Lori. I must have missed this the first time. Yes you do need the bread crumbs. I am sure that I was going to put that you could use homemade breadcrumbs or even panko breadcrumbs.
Lori Loepp
Thank you Beth! I was finally able to make these and they were a hit. So easy and pleasantly delicious. This is the ONLY way I’m making meatball subs from now on.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Lori! I am so glad that you liked the meatball subs!
Clarice
Wow! This looks really delicious. I haven’t really thought about making meatball subs but it totally makes sense since I love the little meatballs on my pizza. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Will definitely add some parsley to it and lots of parmesan cheese.
SONIA SEIVWRIGHT
I love a good meatball sub, and your recipe was delicious! Using fresh herbs and homemade sauce adds a beautiful depth of flavor. Thank you for sharing this mouth-watering recipe – I can’t wait to make it again and enjoy a hearty, satisfying meal.
Fransic verso
Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe! It was so delicious and easy. My daughter is such a picky eater and she ate the whole thing.
Nayna Kanabar
Making meatballs at home is so easy. It is so much nicer than having store-bought ones! You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.
Patricia Chamberlain
Meatball Subs are a favorite in my house! These were a huge hit! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Debbie
These Italian Meatball Subs were amazing. I absolutely love meatball subs and this is a great recipe. Thank you for the easy-to- follow instructions.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Debbie! Glad that you like the meatball subs!
Whitney Stewart
Just when I was thinking I didn’t have a decent meatball sub recipe! I’m really doubling down on collecting some good recipes that I can cook at home when I have a bit more free time. So you better believe I’m saving this one! Thanks so much for sharing!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Whitney!
Makayla Derro
Does anyone know the macros to this recipe?
Cynthia
These were easy to make and I would make them again, however the first time we made them we followed the recipe to the letter. I even made my favorite sauce from scratch. The meatballs were very bland. I know that everyone’s taste differ, however for me they didn’t have flavor. The next time I try these, I will try doubling the seasoning.