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My meatball sub recipe combines juicy homemade meatballs with marinara sauce, all topped with melty cheese and baked on toasted hoagie buns. It tastes WAY better than any Subway meatball sub!
Love all things meatballs? Try my firecracker meatballs, eggplant meatballs, meatballs and gravy, or lamb meatballs next.
Nothing (seriously, nothing) beats a good meatball sandwich.
I was practically raised on meatball subs as a kid, and for a while, I sought to replace them with Subway meatball subs. Thankfully, I’ve gone back to my roots and started making them from scratch. Now they’re my most requested sandwich!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Healthier than Subway. The meatballs in Subway’s subs are loaded with fillers and artificial ingredients–and don’t even get me started on their bread!
- It’s easy to customize. Swap the toppings, use different bread, or ditch the meat and make my vegan meatballs! The options are endless.
- Easy to make ahead. If you’re going to make meatballs from scratch, do yourself a favor and make double, then freeze the leftovers to enjoy later.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Such a delicious recipe! Especially liked the mix of beef and pork for the meatballs!” – Elaine
Ingredients needed
- Ground meat. I used a combination of ground beef and ground pork, but all-beef works. If you choose to just use beef, opt for one with some fat to keep things juicy.
- Egg. To bind the other ingredients.
- Onion. For extra flavor.
- Seasonings. I used freshly minced garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Breadcrumbs. Locks in the moisture and keeps the meatballs from drying out.
- To assemble. Rolls (either hoagie rolls, hot dog rolls, or even half baguettes), sliced cheese (I’m a sucker for mozzarella cheese, but provolone cheese or American cheese both work), and some fresh basil.
For the homemade marinara sauce:
- Olive oil. To sauté the onion and garlic.
- Italian seasoning. I just used a store-bought blend of dried basil, oregano, and thyme.
- Onion and garlic. Two essential aromatics.
- Tomato sauce. Also known as passata or pasta sauce. Opt for one with no added sugar.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
- Water. To thin out the sauce.
How to make meatball subs
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the meatballs. Combine ingredients, shape into meatballs, and pan-fry for 5-6 minutes, until browned. Remove from pan.
Step 2- Build the sauce. Place the pan back on medium heat and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, then add the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, add the meatballs.
Step 3- Assemble. Slice the rolls in half and add the meatballs. Pour the marinara sauce on top, followed by the cheese.
Step 4- Bake. Place the rolls open-faced on the baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes. Serve warm.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid using crusty rolls. They’re more likely to get burnt in the broiler.
- Skip the cook time. Sometimes, I like to keep the bread un-toasted. If you go this route, give the cheese a minute to melt naturally before serving.
- Save time. When I crave meatball subs, I don’t always have the mental energy to make marinara sauce from scratch. So, I’ll use store-bought sauce or my homemade pomodoro sauce or sugo, and they turn out amazing regardless.
Variations
- Cut the carbs. Use keto bread crumbs, keto spaghetti sauce, and serve them in keto hot dog buns instead.
- Switch up the protein. Use only ground beef or ground pork, mix ground beef with Italian sausage, or make my ground chicken meatballs.
- Add some heat. Stir ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the marinara sauce for a little extra kick.
- Brush the rolls with garlic butter before toasting.
Storage instructions
To store: Store the meatballs and marinara sauce in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to five days.
To freeze: Leftover meatballs (cooked or raw) can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to six months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, these subs are super forgiving, so feel free to use pre-cooked frozen meatballs.
Yes! Use gluten-free bread crumbs in the meatballs and serve in gluten-free rolls. My sister, who has celiac disease, highly rates Schar gluten-free panini rolls.
More delicious sandwiches
Meatball Subs
Video
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork or more ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound tomato sauce passata
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the sandwiches
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- 4 hoagie rolls * See notes
Instructions
- Add all the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a plate.
- Add some oil to a non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the meatballs onto a plate.
- Place the pan back over medium heat then add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the meatballs back and cook through.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Slice your hoagie rolls in half and add a generous portion of the warm meatballs. Add the marinara sauce on top, followed by the mozzarella cheese.
- Place the filled hoagie rolls open faced on a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally updated March 2022, updated and republished July 2024
Easy recipes. All ingredients already have at home so I will do this!
Please ignore my previous comment on measurements. Found them. Your my new favourite page for making my favourite food
These are the best meatball subs EVER!!!
I can’t have much salt. Still very good. I used low salt everything. Now I can have my much missed meatball sandwich. I
am eating one right now. Thanks for the recipe.
Such a delicious recipe! Especially liked the mix of beef and pork for the meatballs!
I’m about the try this tomorrow ! I LOVEE Subway:3
But I do have a questiom regarding the mixed herbs.. what herbs is it or is it a certain bottle or? I’m just confused about what herbs would be in the mixed herbs 😅
Thanks! Can’t wait to try
Italian seasoning 🙂
This was perfect, detailed beautifully & I love the water trick I honestly never knew that ! Thank you so very much for sharing this.
Great!
Please could you include measurements.
I have to try the vegan meatballs–they don’t even look vegan! Isn’t it amazing when you find the exact same thing you want in another place where it’s so much cheaper for more?! 😀
Please do- They are so delicious!
Price differences? Well, how about I’m telling you there are menu differences, too? Ergo: Germany doesn’t have the meatball sub. Or not anymore at least. I used to work at Subway – on a funny sidenote I found the guidelines on assembly formula for all subs on m laptop recently … hi there, overloading my hard disk – and either my boss or one of my colleagues instructing me said how relieved they were the meatball sub wasn’t on the menu anymore. Apparently, it was a pain to clean up after assembling and cutting those. Now if Subway offered a vegan meatball sub …
Oh no! I loved Subway in Germany, their ham was SO good!