The BEST Meatball Subs

Meatball Sub is a hot delicious sandwich packed with tender Italian meatballs, marinara sauce, and gooey, melted mozzarella cheese.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

YIELD: 3 subs

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE HOMEMADE MEATBALLS:

1/2 pound Ground Beef, 85%/15% preferably

1/2 pound Ground Pork

1 Egg

1 thin slice of Whole Wheat Bread, soaked in milk and squeezed

1/4 cup minced Yellow Onion

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Garlic Cloves, pressed and minced

1 tablespoon fresh minced Basil

1/2 tablespoon fresh minced Parsley

1/2-1 teaspoon Coarse Kosher Salt or Sea Salt, to taste

1/8-1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste

FOR THE MEATBALL SUBS:

3 Hoagie Rolls

12 Italian Meatballs (12-15 meatballs)

1-1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce (homemade or store-bought)

3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

1-1 1/2 cup thick shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the best results, we love to use leftover Meatballs because they are cooked right in the sauce. If you wish, you can make the meatballs below just for the subs or use other meatballs you love.

FOR HOMEMADE MEATBALLS:

1. Combine the ground beef, ground pork, egg, minced onion, parmesan cheese, pressed and minced garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out the slice of bread, break it up, and add it to the bowl. Mix everything very well. Try to mix quickly but thoroughly.

2. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking sheet with some oil or cover with parchment paper.

3. Grease your hands with some cooking spray. To get even meatballs, use a cookie scoop. I use #40 scoop, but you can use a slightly larger one. Try to keep the meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. (You can make meatballs a little bigger or smaller according to your own preference. Just remember to adjust cooking time if making bigger or smaller meatballs.)

4. Quickly roll all the meatballs and add them to the baking sheet, close together but not touching.

5. Bake the meatballs for 20-22 minutes, depending on the size.

TO MAKE THE MEATBALL SUBS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

2. Slice the hoagie rolls in the middle, on top, but not all the way through. Place the hoagies in the baking dish or rimmed baking sheet side by side. Depending on the dish, you may need to lightly grease it or cover with some aluminum foil.

3. Spread a couple of tablespoons of marinara sauce on the bottom of each hoagie and sprinkle some fresh grated parmesan cheese over the sauce.

4. Depending on the size of the hoagie roll and size of the meatballs you can fit 4-5 meatballs in each roll. Place the meatballs inside the roll, side by side.

5. Spread a little more marinara sauce over the meatballs.

6. Generously spread shredded mozzarella cheese over each hoagie and sprinkle some dry oregano.

7. Bake for 15-17 minutes. (If using cold meatballs and marinara sauce, you would need to add about 5 minutes bake time.