Easy, Italian Meatball Sub Sandwich recipe made from homemade meatballs, delicious marinara sauce, served toasted with extra cheese! The perfect weeknight dinner.
Serve this easy family dinner with our favorite Olive Garden Salad or a simple side of chips and guacamole is also delicious!
Why this Recipe Works
When it comes to easy dinners, this Meatball Sub recipe tops the charts.
I use my favorite turkey meatball recipe, making them a little larger than normal, and simmering them in a flavorful marinara sauce.
- Put the meatballs in a crockpot or slow cooker with sauce and turn on low until ready to assemble them. This adds extra flavor to the meatballs.
- Making several batches of meatballs ahead of time and freezing them is my favorite Sunday activity.
We’ll serve some in this Spaghettio’s and Meatballs recipe, and also dish them out using this Cocktail Meatball recipe.
Ready to start?
Ingredient Notes
Pan Fried Meatballs
STEP 1. Start by cooking your meatballs. This can be done in the morning, or do it days/weeks in advance and freeze them until ready to use.
For the meatballs, you can use ground beef or ground turkey. I usually opt for the ground turkey, but either is delicious in this basic recipe.
In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey with egg, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper, and milk. Use your hands!
STEP 2. Shape meat into bite size balls (smaller than a golf ball).
STEP 3. Heat a large skillet with 1 Tbsp oil. Cook in single layer, turning frequently until completely cooked.
Oven Baked Meatballs
For an easier clean up, place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place meatballs onto baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes (no need to flip).
Remove from oven and use immediately in crockpot, or freeze for later use.
For the meatball sandwich recipe, place meatballs in slow cooker. Top with tomato sauce, garlic salt, and italian seasoning. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
How to Assemble
When ready to serve, turn oven to broil. Place about 4-5 meatballs on each sub roll, with sauce. Add parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
PRO TIP: Adding provolone cheese slices to the bun BEFORE adding meatballs gives these hoagies an extra cheesy flavor!
Bake until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. ENJOY.
Easy Instructions
- Make Meatballs. Either use freshly made or already prepared, frozen meatballs.
- Add sauce. Simmer all day in crockpot or on stove top in 15 minutes.
- Prepare the bun. Choose a hoagie roll, or french roll, slice in half and add meatballs, sauce, and cheese.
- Broil. 5 minutes is all you need to toast your meatball subs.
- Eat. Dig in to this easy, versatile dinner!
Can you freeze Meatballs
Absolutely. You can freeze them cooked or raw.
- For raw meatballs, place on a foil lined baking sheet. Flash freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from sheet and slide into a ziploc freezer bag.
- Use in your favorite meatball recipe within 3 months.
- For cooked meatballs, allow to cool completely after cooking. Place in ziploc freezer bag.
- You can add your frozen meatballs to the crockpot for today’s meatball sub recipe. No need to thaw first!
PRO TIP: Meatball Subs are great for a crowd. You can easily double or triple the batch of meatballs. Line up your hoagies on a cookie sheet, fill, and broil. Serve and enjoy!
More meatball recipes
- Meatball Parmesan Casserole
- Swedish Meatballs
- Zucchini Meatballs (vegetarian recipe)
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Meatball Sub Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon milk
For the sauce
- 2 cans tomato sauce 15oz
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
For the subs
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 Hoagie buns
Instructions
- Mix ground turkey (or beef) with egg, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper and milk in large bowl. Shape into small bite size balls. Cook in hot skillet, turning, until completely cooked. At this point you can let them cool, and freeze them. Or, use them immediately.
- Put your meatballs in a crockpot set on low with the tomato sauce, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 4-6 hours.
- When ready to serve, set oven to broil. Place about 5 meatballs on each hoagie, with sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Broil until cheese turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- For raw meatballs, place on a foil lined baking sheet. Flash freezefor 30 minutes. Remove from sheet and slide into a ziploc freezer bag.
- Use in your favorite meatball recipe within 3 months.
- For cooked meatballs, allow to cool completely after cooking. Place in ziploc freezer bag.
- You can add your frozen meatballs to the crockpot for today’s meatball sub recipe. No need to thaw first!
I have been trying out many meatball sub-recipes lately since my family is a huge fan of them. Yours was voted the best by far from all the ones we had tried before. Thanks for these amazing subs.
This was the perfect dinner to serve the whole family, it was super easy to make and delicious!! Perfect meal for dinner on the patio!
I dont have a crockpot. can I just simmer these on low on top of the stove?
Sure can!
This is one of my go-to weeknight dinners! So easy and delicious!
The meatballs are the best!!
Such an awesome sandwich!
This quickly became a favorite at my house! So delish!
My husband loves this recipe!! it’s on a regular rotation
These look delicious! Can you believe I’ve never made meatballs? I know my hubby would love them (I would too) and I keep considering it but just haven’t done it.
Your recipe looks super easy and delicious…maybe this will get me to do it finally! 🙂
That meatball sub looks so yummy and I love that you prep the meatballs ahead of time. I hadn’t even noticed that it wasn’t a hoagie roll until your pointed it out 🙂
Hi Aimee,
Thank you so much for bringing your wonderful Meatball Sub’s to share with us at Full Plate Thursday, we look forward to seeing you next week!
Lovely meal option, I’m gonna try this out real soon!
BTW, that was Jeff. I changed my name to Tom in case you don’t remember for security reasons.
How I Met Your Mother. Great show! This weeks episode was about an exploding meatball sub.
Jeff, I have no idea what show you are referring to? Please explain 🙂 Can’t wait to see you next week!
Is it an exploding meatball sub? If you don’t watch that show, then nevermind.
-jeff