One of my sons is a huge fan of meatball subs, so they are a frequent request in our household. I like them because they are pretty quick and easy to make. We eat them on my homemade sandwich rolls (recipe here). I always keep some in my freezer, but you can just as easily grab some rolls from the store.
I typically use store bought sauce for this recipe. My favorite store bought sauce is Classico 4 cheese sauce. For the meatballs, I mix 85/15 ground beef with garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, italian seasoning, egg, breadcrumbs, and parmesan. Then I pan fry the meatballs first to brown them, then cooked the rest of the way in the sauce.
I don’t know if you all do this, but whenever I am seasoning ground meat I have a little trick to get the seasoning right. Pinch off a little bit of the ground meat and quickly fry it in a pan and taste it. This ensures that your meat is well seasoned, plus it is a little snack. 🙂
If I have time, I put some garlic butter on the rolls (skip if I’m in a hurry), and toast them slightly. Then add some sliced mozzarella and put it back in the oven for a bit to let that melt (helps keep the bread from getting soggy). Top with meatballs and sauce, and some grated parmesan. You’d be surprised how much flavor is in a simple sandwich. So satisfying!
I typically serve these with a salad or vegetable on the side. I had a bunch of bell peppers sitting in my fridge today, so decided to make a bell pepper salad with some hot peppers and herbs from my garden added in.
Meatball Subs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- fresh black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- milk as needed if meat mix is too dry
- 1 bottle pasta sauce of your choice
For the sandwiches:
- 4 sandwich rolls
- sliced mozzarella cheese
- grated parmesan cheese
- garlic butter optional
Instructions
- Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands. You don't want to overmix the meat. Fry a small piece and taste for seasoning. Adjust as needed.
- Form into balls and pan fry in a skillet until browned on all sides. Add the sauce and continue cooking for 30-40 minutes to allow the meatballs to cook through and everything to meld.
- Cut the rolls, spread with garlic butter if using and toast lightly. Add the sliced mozzarella and return to the oven to allow it to melt.
- Top with the meatballs and sauce and grated parmesan and serve!