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meatball sub sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese.

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5 from 1 review

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Recipe by Danielle

Meatball Sub Sandwiches are an easy classic everyone will love! Starring homemade meatballs on garlic buttered hoagie rolls with marinara and melty mozzarella. Easy to serve one or a crowd with air fryer and oven instructions!

  • Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield2 sandwiches 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs (makes ~32 meatballs):

  • 1 pound 80% lean ground beef 
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup traditional basil pesto
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For the meatball sub sandwiches (2 sandwiches):

  • 8 meatballs, cooked
  • 2 hoagie bun rolls 
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Recipe notes: Use your favorite frozen meatballs and cook according to package or recipe directions, or make homemade meatballs. To make homemade meatballs, follow detailed cooking instructions on the recipe page Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs, or simplified cooking instructions as follows in Step 2.
  2. Make meatballs: Preheat the oven to 375F. Add all meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands (or gloves), combine everything together until just mixed. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Use a cookie scoop to form the meatballs and place directly on the sheet pan, about one inch apart. Place fresh meatballs into the oven and cook for 20-23 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.
  3. Toast the hoagie rolls: Slice hoagie rolls (2) if not already cut, taking care to not cut all the way through. Mix melted butter (1 tablespoon) with a pinch of garlic powder. Brush melted butter mixture inside and on the edges of the hoagie rolls, and then place the rolls on a broiler-safe dish (sheet pan or casserole dish). Place the rolls under the broiler and lightly toast for about 2 minutes – watch closely! Remove rolls from the oven.
  4. Assemble and cook: Place 4 cooked meatballs into each toasted hoagie roll. Next, add a spoonful of sauce on top of each meatball (I like to go lighter on sauce to avoid sogginess, then use it for dipping later if needed). Place about 1/4 cup fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese on top of each sandwich. Place under the broiler for 3-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning.
    • Air fryer instructions (max 2 sandwiches): Follow step 3 to butter the rolls, but instead place the hoagies on a piece of aluminum foil in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400F for 2-3 minutes until beginning to golden. Next, assemble the rest of the sandwiches – add 4 meatballs, 1 spoonful of sauce over each meatball, and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Air fry at 400F for 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted and sandwich is golden brown.
  5. Serve & store: Serve immediately with additional marinara sauce for dipping. These sandwiches don’t store well in the refrigerator or freezer, so I recommend only cooking as many as you need. Freeze remaining meatballs for quicker meatball subs in the future.

Equipment

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Notes

Cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts quickly and broils at the same pace as the bread browns. Fresh mozzarella takes longer to melt and could end up burning the hoagie roll, depending on your broiler. If you notice the bread burning, quickly cover it with strips of aluminum foil, leaving the fresh mozzarella exposed to melt and brown. It is easier to use shredded mozzarella, but I like fresh better! You can also use provolone, or another cheese you prefer.

Meatballs: Keeping some frozen meatballs on hand makes this recipe go much quicker. See the full length cooking and freezing instructions on the recipe page for Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs.

Scaling: Double or triple this recipe to make 4 or 6 meatball sub sandwiches! If you’d like to double or triple the meatballs recipe, please visit the recipe post for Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs to get more detailed information.

Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal and will vary depending on your ingredient brands and specific amounts used.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Mains
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian-inspired

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 sub sandwich
  • Calories: 590
  • Fat: 20g
  • Carbohydrates: 47g
  • Protein: 54g

Find it online: https://staging.projectmealplan.com/meatball-sub-sandwiches/