Meatball Subs

5 from 1 vote

Our homemade meatball subs have juicy meatballs that are simmered in a tasty homemade sauce, placed in a soft sub sandwich, and coated with more sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Ground Beef, meatball subs, sandwich

Servings: sub sandwiches

Calories: 1980kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

Meatballs

3¾ pounds (60 ounces) lean ground beef
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Sauce

56 ounce (2 cans) crushed tomatoes
15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup sweet onion small diced (about 1 medium sized onion)
1 tbsp garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

For the sub sandwich

4 hearty sub rolls (approximately 7-8 inches long each)
8 slices mozzarella cheese (from the deli section, not a block of cheese)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
Additional chopped fresh parsley for garnish if desired

Instructions

In a 6 quart pot, on medium heat, add the olive oil, onions, garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes then add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and the sugar. Stir to combine then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce while you move forward with making the meatballs. Make sure to give your sauce a stir every so often to make sure it doesn’t burn.
In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, eggs, panko, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Using a large wooden spoon mix all the ingredients together until well combined. **Be careful not to overwork the beef mixture because that causes tough meatballs**
Preheat your oven to 350*F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom. Set aside.
Using a kitchen scale, divide the meat mixture and weigh out 12 (5 ounce) meatballs. Shape your meatballs by lightly rolling them in your hands then place the formed meatballs, in rows, on the prepared sheet pan.
In a large, heavy duty skillet, heat the ¼ cup olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place 6 of your shaped meatballs into the skillet. You will brown your meatballs on all sides. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Once you have browned your meatballs on all sides, remove them from the skillet and return them to the baking sheet. Repeat this step with the remaining meatballs. When you are done you should have 12 browned meatballs back on your parchment lined baking sheet.
Place your baking sheet, with the browned meatballs, into the oven to finish baking the meatballs for 30 minutes.
Once you remove your cooked meatballs from the oven, place them into your pot of simmering sauce for another 30 minutes on medium-low heat.
Preheat your oven to BROIL. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
At this point you can assemble your sub sandwiches by opening your sub roll lengthwise. Place 3 meatballs into each of the sub rolls. Top your meatballs with 2 slices of the deli sliced mozzarella cheese. Place your assembled meatball subs onto the aluminum foil lined sheet tray and put them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until your cheese has melted and your sub roll has crisped up slightly.
You can garnish your sub with a couple spoonfuls of additional sauce, grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Makes 12 5-ounce meatballs - 4 sub sandwiches

Storage:

To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze any extra meatballs and sauce together in a freezer safe, lidded container, for up to 2 months. When you are ready to use them you will need to thaw the container in your refrigerator.
To Reheat: You can place your leftover meatballs and sauce in a large pan and reheat them on medium-low heat on the stove. If frozen, you will need to thaw the leftovers first.

Nutrition