Meatball Subs

These are the BEST meatball subs! Made with a garlic toasted bun, tender meatballs, homemade tomato sauce and provolone cheese, these meatball sub sandwiches are guaranteed to satisfy.

One of my favorite meals as a child was meatball sub sandwiches.

Meatballs piled on a toasted bun with melted cheese was just comfort food to me.

Meatball Subs

In my opinion, there are decent meatball subs and there are knock-it out of the park meatball subs.

And I am sharing with you how to make a knock-it out of the park sub sandwich.

My recipe for meatball subs starts with homemade meatballs that are filled with INCREDIBLE flavor and homemade tomato sauce. Served on a toasted bun that has been flavored with garlic and smothered in provolone cheese. It is ooey, gooey, savory perfection.

For the Best Meatball Subs

The difference between a good meatball sub and a great meatball sub are all in the details. With minimal ingredients needed to make a meatball sub sandwich, it is essential to choose your ingredients wisely.

• Homemade Meatballs
  • Yes, you can use any frozen or store-bought meatballs you like for meatball subs, but for the BEST meatball sub, I strongly suggest homemade meatballs.
  • Instant Pot Meatballs work well in this recipe as well.
• Homemade Tomato Sauce
  • Again, you can use any store bought marinara/spaghetti sauce you like. While I prefer my homemade marinara sauce, there are really good quality brands on the market.
• Hoagie Buns
  • You want a thick bun that has room for 3-4 meatballs per sub.
• Provolone Cheese
  • Provolone is my go to cheese for meatball subs.
  • Thinly sliced provolone is best so that the cheese melts sufficiently to fully cover the bun and meatballs.
• Olive Oil
  • Used to help perfectly toast the hoagie bun.
• Seasonings
  • Mix garlic powder and dried oregano into the olive oil for an added layer of flavor to these meatball sandwiches.

How to make Meatball Subs

Step One: Prepare Meatballs and Sauce

• Make Oven Baked Meatballs or Instant Pot Meatballs.
• Make Homemade Marinara (or warm up jarred spaghetti sauce.)
• Mix prepared meatballs with just enough sauce to coat.
  • For  one batch of meatballs this is typically 2 cups sauce.
  • If using frozen meatballs, warm through in sauce before assembling meatball subs. 

Step Two: Toast Buns

• Toasting the buns ensures that you will not have a soggy meatball sub.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix together olive oil and seasonings.
• Brush on inside of the hoagie buns

• Place seasoned opened buns on cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until golden.

Step Three: Assemble Meatball Sandwich

• Place provolone cheese slices on bun, overlapping to cover surface of the bun.
  • This step helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy as well.

• Top toasted bun with 3-4 meatballs.

• Top with another piece of provolone cheese.

• Return to oven to bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and close bun and serve.

Serve Meatball Subs with:

• Easy Baked Oven Fries
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
• Greek Quinoa Salad

Meatball Sub Recipe

I would love to know how you enjoy this recipe! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know. Or snap a picture and tag @amindfullmom on Instagram and hashtag it #amindfullmom

Meatball Subs

Made with a garlic toasted bun, tender meatballs, homemade tomato sauce and provolone cheese, these meatball sub sandwiches are guaranteed to satisfy.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Meatball Subs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• 18 meatballs 1 recipe
• 6 hoagie buns
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce
• 8 ounces provolone cheese thinly sliced.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Gently mix together prepared meatballs with marinara sauce. Set aside. 
• Place opened buns on large cookie sheet. 
• Mix together olive oil with garlic and oregano and brush on the opened sides of the buns.
• Toast buns for 5 minutes, or until just browned.
• Remove buns from oven and place 2 slices of provolone cheese on each bun, slightly overlapping to cover surface of the bun. 
• Top with 3 large (or 4 smaller) meatballs and an additional slice of cheese. 
• Return to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
• Close sandwich and serve meatball subs. 

Nutrition Facts

Meatball Subs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 450 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 56mg 19%

Sodium 1075mg 45%

Potassium 443mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 38g 13%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 8g

Protein 23g 46%

Vitamin A 13.7%

Vitamin C 7.5%

Calcium 31.1%

Iron 67.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.