I’ve never been the biggest fan of meatball subs but I’ve found that, when done right, they can be out-of-this-world amazing! When I stumbled across this recipe Food Network Magazine last month, there were things that were intriguing (um, the sheer amount of garlic involved was enough to sell me, but throw in ricotta cheese and I knew I had to make them), but there were other things, at first glance, I knew I’d need to change, and there were other things I discovered I wanted to change as I made them (3 times in a 10-day period. Turns out these are a perfect thing to take to families that need meals). The following is my tweaked and perfected version, which I dare say is pretty darn near perfection. This recipe is more labor intensive than a bag of frozen meatballs and store-bought sauce, but I promise it’s worth it. It makes a ton of meatballs so there are plenty to freeze for later or share, making all that effort worth it!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Sauce
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- canned crushed tomatoes
- canned tomato sauce
- fresh basil
- fresh Italian parsley
- fresh thyme
- Italian seasoning
- sugar
- baking soda
- red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- Meatballs
- lean ground beef
- spicy Italian pork sausage
- dehydrated onion
- fresh minced garlic
- fresh thyme
- fresh oregano
- fresh Italian parsley
- egg
- Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- Subs
- Parmesan, provolone, or mozzarella cheese
- slider rolls, sweet Hawaiian rolls, baguette, or hoagie rolls
- fresh parsley for garnish
How to Make Meatball Subs
- Sauce: You’ll start with a homemade sauce. Sauteed garlic and onions simmer with crushed tomatoes, canned tomato sauce, and a handful of fresh herbs. This can hang out on the stove simmering until the meatballs are ready.
- Meatballs: For the meatballs, you’ll combine ground beef and Italian sausage with fresh herbs, spices, an egg, some ricotta cheese, and some breadcrumbs. These get shaped and popped into the oven until nice and brown, at which point you’ll transfer them to the pan with the sauce where they can simmer until cooked through.
- Subs: To serve, place the meatballs on your roll of choice. Top with sauce, Parmesan, mozzarella, or provolone cheese, and fresh Italian parsley. If desired, you can also spread the rolls with butter or spritz with olive oil and toast them under the broiler before assembling your sandwiches. You can also pop the sandwiches back under the broiler to melt the cheese if desired.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- You can also freeze meatballs and sauce in portions for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Make them as directed, then cool completely and refrigerate. Reheat gently on the stove when you’re ready to assemble your sandwiches.
Yes! Freeze in individual portions or freeze the whole batch. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
Nope. This recipe is great for traditional spaghetti and meatballs as well!
Meatball Subs
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 28- ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 8- ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar to taste
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- about 1″-2″ cube of hard dry Parmesan cheese (optional)
- kosher salt to taste
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef I use 93/7
- 1 pound spicy Italian pork sausage
- 2 ½ tablespoons dehydrated onion
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ cup Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
Subs
- Parmesan, provolone, or mozzarella cheese
- slider rolls sweet Hawaiian rolls are amazing, baguette, or hoagie rolls
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat the olive oil a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chopped garlic and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, parsley, thyme, Italian seasoning, sugar, baking soda, red pepper flakes, and the Parmesan cheese rind (if using). Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low and cover, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes, or until meatballs are ready to add.
Meatballs
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Heat your oven to 425℉.
- To make the meatballs, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix gently.
- Using a tablespoon measuring spoon or cookie scoop, scoop the meat mixture out by heaping tablespoons-full and form them into meatballs. Place the uncooked meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until browned (they will not be cooked through). Remove from the oven and transfer the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Subs
- To serve, place the meatballs on your bread of choice. Top with sauce, Parmesan (the powdery stuff in the green can is actually kind of amazing right here, right now), mozzarella, or provolone, and chopped fresh Italian parsley.
Notes
- Nutritional information was calculated for 4 meatballs with sauce. It does not include rolls or added cheese, as these will vary in nutrition depending on varieties and amounts chosen.Â
Questions & Reviews
Do you think it would hold up with ground turkey & turkey sausage?
You and I must be on the same brainwave! I wanted a meatball sub bad a couple of days ago and I had to make up my own. We just finished them off for lunch. I love the idea of ricotta in the meatballs, that is genius! I also used the “homemade” hotdog buns from the bakery at Wal-mart cause I didn’t want too much/too little bread and they were pretty darn good. I broiled the buns for just a minute under the broiler, put on the meatballs and a bit of sauce and mozzarella cheese along with some leaves of basil and parsley from the garden, and broiled it for a few more minutes until the cheese was melty. Awesome! Next time I’m trying this recipe.
I LOVE meatballs and this looks so good! Will definitely be making this sometime. I have a question about the sauce. What is the baking soda for?
It helps take a little bit of the acidic edge off. I learned that trick from my brother-in-law who used to live in Italy. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Yummy!
I read the whole blog, so I got that the kosher salt in the meatballs should be 1 1/2 teaspoons, but the printable recipe just says “1 1/2 kosher salt” in case you want to change it. You are awesome and I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and experience with others! Have a great day!
YES! Thank you! 🙂
Looks delist! One question though, in the picture there is also a can of tomato sauce, is that part of the recipe? I can’t see it anywhere, but don’t want to leave it out of its needed.
Thanks!
Yes! Fixed it! Thank you!
The addition of ricotta cheese to the meatballs has thrown this Italian for a loop! For research’s sake, I plan to try it although I will adjust the recipe to include my own Italian bread crumbs (http://www.fransfavs.com/2011/05/italian-bread-crumbs/) which I have been making for over 40 years. I always have a big bowl of these bread crumbs in my fridge as it’s my go-to for Italian cutlets, eggplant parmigiana, baked stuffed shrimp, and of course meatballs. It keeps well in the fridge and I make a fresh batch as soon as the old one is used up. It makes making meatballs a snap since all I have to do is add an egg to one pound of beef along with 3/4 to 1 cup of the seasoned bread crumbs which includes fresh garlic, fresh parsley, and freshly grated Romano cheese which is what I grew up with. Oh, I’ve just made myself so hungry!
Well, now I know what I want for lunch!
YUM!! these look amazing!
Wondering what would be the best way to freeze these. Maybe freeze meatballs in the sauce after cooking?
That’s what I would do. 🙂
I would put each meatball on a cookie sheet and freeze them individually. It won’t take long in the freezer. Then you could put them in a freezer bag. That way if you don’t want red sauce on the meatballs you have them. Say for example Swedish meatballs or Hawaiian meatballs.