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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Easy Meatball Subs

beef entrees· Popular Recipes· sandwiches & wraps· Tailgating Recipes
January 12, 2017

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Easy Meatball Subs – Made with hot dog buns, frozen meatballs, marinara, and provolone, these meatball subs are so simple to make and perfect for feeding a crowd. Don’t have a crowd to feed? You can easily adjust this recipe for a smaller group!

Stack of Easy Meatball SubsMy husband Tyson and I don’t have a ton of favorite foods in common…well, outside of your usual macaroni and cheese, cheeseburger, and chicken tenders. Other than those, we tend to like different ice cream flavors, different beverages, different pizza toppings, different deli sandwiches, different pastas, etc. It’s been a tough thing for me to accept but I’m good now and have learned to compromise. Or just buy two of everything…

But there is one thing that unites us: meatball subs. We both looooove meatball subs. It was a staple in my college diet (thank you, Firehouse Subs). I mean, how can you go wrong with tender meatballs, covered in marinara and provolone cheese, sitting in a soft hoagie roll?! Meat, cheese, carbs, sauce. That’s all I need.

And that’s where my husband and I agree. He goes crazy over the meatball subs at a local spot in a part of town where he used to live. But now we live too far to make the trek there. So I decided that I would come up with an amazing recipe we can enjoy at home.

Easy Meatball Subs side by side in a pan Easy Meatball Sub with a bite out of it

This recipe is more than I could have hoped for. It was super simple to make, required few ingredients, and the subs tasted AMAZING. The sprinkle of Parmesan and Italian herbs really adds the perfect amount of flavor. Plus, because I baked the subs together in a baking dish, it trapped a little of the moisture and created perfectly soft, chewy buns. Mmm, carbs.

This recipe makes a whole tray of subs – seven, to be precise. You can make them for weeknight dinners or cut them and half and serve them at parties. That’s why I love the size of them – they’re so versatile.

On top of these being versatile little sandwiches, they are also so super simple to make and very few ingredients. All we’re doing is heating up frozen meatballs in marinara, adding them to hot dog buns, topping with cheese, and baking for a few minutes to melt the cheese. THAT’S IT. They really took no time at all. And if you already have the meatballs cooked, it takes less than 10 minutes. You really can’t get any simpler than that.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that you can easily make it your own. If you have a favorite meatball you like, use that. If there’s a classic marinara recipe you keep on hand, you can use that. If you want to use a different cheese, go right ahead. I bet fresh mozzarella tastes amaaaazing on these. I just used sliced provolone and grated Parmesan but feel free to go crazy with whatever cheese you want to use.

Casserole dish full of buns Casserole dish of buns with sauce and meatballs added Sprinkling cheese over the uncooked meatball subs Easy Meatball Subs with melted cheese and herbs on top

Here are some more tips to get you prepped for this recipe:

  1. This recipe uses frozen mini meatballs, which are about the size of a quarter. If your meatballs are larger than that, you may only need two per sub.
  2. I used top-sliced hot dog buns from Pepperidge Farm. I like the look of the top-sliced bun, plus it made it much easier for me to stuff the bun with the meatballs since they stay in there nice and snug. But you can use whatever bun you like. Just remember, if they are bigger than a hot dog bun (e.g. hoagie buns or sandwich buns), you will need more meatballs to fill the extra space.
  3. Now that we’re on the topic of hot dog buns, I need to address the elephant in the room: how come this recipe only makes 7 subs when we all know 8 buns come in a package? I tried soooo hard to fit 8 subs into my 13×9 baking dish but it just wouldn’t work – the subs would have been squished in, causing the bread to flatten. But if you have a dish large enough, please make all 8 subs. That extra bun is so lonely!
  4. Don’t put too much sauce over the meatballs, otherwise it will cause your bread to be soggy. Place just enough to cover the meatballs but not so much that they’re floating in it.

That’s all, folks! Its so super simple but oh so satisfying. Let me know how you like them by commenting below!

Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in this post. For each item that is sold, I receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting the brands that support CPA!

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styled shot of Easy Meatball Subs
Print Recipe

Easy Meatball Subs

Made with hot dog buns, frozen meatballs, marinara, and provolone, these meatball subs are so simple to make and perfect for feeding a crowd. Don't have a crowd to feed? You can easily adjust this recipe for a smaller group!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time40 mins
Servings: 7 subs

Ingredients

  • 7 hot dog buns
  • 2 cups marinara sauce (about 1 jar)
  • 28 mini frozen meatballs
  • 7 slices provolone cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (oregano works fine, too)

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place marinara sauce in large saucepan. Set sauce over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add in frozen meatballs and stir until their coated in sauce. Let them cook until no longer frozen and are heated through, about 20-25 minutes.
  • In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Slice each bun and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Set aside until meatballs are ready. Stack slices of provolone on top of each other. Slice evenly in half. Set aside.
  • When meatballs are ready, turn off heat. Using a spoon, scoop four meatballs from marinara and place into one hot dog bun. Repeat with 6 remaining buns. Spoon a little sauce over each sub, covering meatballs in sauce.
  • Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese evenly over each sub. Place one half-slice of provolone cheese on the sub, covering the top half. Place another half-slice on the same sub, but now covering the bottom half. The meatballs should be completely covered in cheese. Sprinkle with a little bit of Italian seasoning (or oregano). Repeat with other subs.
  • Place subs in preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Meatball Subs photo collage

More recipes you’ll enjoy:

Bacon & Gruyere Sliders with Beer Caramelized Onions

Tray of Bacon & Gruyere Sliders with Beer Caramelized Onions

Drunken Spaghetti Meatballs

Plate of Drunken Spaghetti Meatballs

Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese Dip

Pretzel bite being dipped into beer cheese

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32 Comments

« Bacon & Gruyere Sliders with Beer Caramelized Onions
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Comments

  1. Lori Spurgeon says

    March 31, 2018 at 6:09 am

    Glad to see someone else makes theirs like mine although i use mozz cheese and make my own meatballs (I dont eat onions)

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      April 4, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Oh wow! I bet they taste incredible with homemade meatballs.

      Reply
  2. Angie says

    January 23, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    Okay, those look to die for. Seriously. I need that in my mouth like now…

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 24, 2017 at 4:40 am

      Haha thank you!

      Reply
  3. Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen says

    January 14, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    These look so good! Love these melted cheese on top.

    Reply
  4. Ashleigh says

    January 13, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    Oh this sub recipe looks amazing! I know my family would love it, thank you for
    sharing!

    Reply
  5. McKenzie Allyshia says

    January 13, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    Oh my gosh this looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  6. Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen says

    January 13, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    I am now officially hungry and need these in my fave NOW!

    Reply
  7. Joscelyn | Wife Mama Foodie says

    January 13, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Oh yummy! Love how simple yet delicious these sound!

    Reply
  8. Emily says

    January 13, 2017 at 9:31 am

    Those look amazing! I love the tip about using the top slit buns. This looks easy enough for me to make!

    Reply
  9. madeline says

    January 13, 2017 at 8:49 am

    perfect comfort food right here! meatball subs are so delicious and hearty. yours look delicious!

    Reply
  10. Kristen says

    January 13, 2017 at 7:53 am

    These look so yummy! We’re always looking for new recipes and my hubs would love these!

    Reply
  11. Erica Nicole says

    January 12, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    These look incredible! Seriously, my mouth is watering.

    Reply
  12. Jamie Fray says

    January 12, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Those look fantastic, and definitely something great to make with my daughter!

    Reply
  13. Rachel says

    January 12, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    This looks AMAZING. I love meatball subs!

    Reply
  14. Melissa Blake says

    January 12, 2017 at 6:34 pm

    oooh, these look so much more delicious than the ones I get at Subway!!!

    Reply
  15. Cass SugarSalt says

    January 12, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    Oh wonderful I may have to add some cilantro or parsley to it. Very simple to use. -Cass from sugarsaltspice.com

    Reply
  16. Rachel says

    January 12, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    These look so yummy and your photos are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  17. Rochelle says

    January 12, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    I think my family would love these. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  18. Neely Moldovan says

    January 12, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    putting the word “easy” in front of any recipe makes me feel like I can make it!

    Reply
  19. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says

    January 12, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    I’ve always been kinda iffy on meatball subs, but these look really good, so I’m going to have to try them! 🙂

    Reply
  20. michelle says

    January 12, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    THANK YOU I’LL BE EATING THIS TONIGHT.

    Reply
  21. Katie Kinsley says

    January 12, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    These look great for a night when friends are over to hang out!

    Reply
  22. Jamie says

    January 12, 2017 at 9:39 am

    My husband would love these! And these look pretty easy to make, I’ll have to try them soon!

    Reply
  23. Ashley Stephenson says

    January 12, 2017 at 8:26 am

    These look delicious and would be a perfect dinner for us! We tend to stick to the same old dinners all the time! One of my goals this month is to try new recipes – this is definitely being added to the list!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 12, 2017 at 8:47 am

      Woohoo for new dinners! Let me know how everyone likes it!

      Reply
  24. emmy says

    January 12, 2017 at 8:03 am

    These look delish!

    Emmy Coletti

    Reply
  25. Jennifer says

    January 12, 2017 at 7:40 am

    OK…I have never made meatball subs before, but this looks like something my family would LOVE! Going to try it this weekend! Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 12, 2017 at 8:47 am

      Yay! Let me know how they turn out!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Taco Spaghetti - Julie's Eats & Treats ® says:
    October 4, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    […] love this Mexican Chicken Casserole, Spaghetti Pie, easy chicken pasta with white wine sauce, these yummy meatball subs, or my favorite stuffed peppers with chicken and […]

    Reply
  2. Chicken Ranch Wraps - CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado says:
    June 14, 2018 at 6:06 am

    […] got a few easy recipes on my blog already, like these Easy Meatball Subs, Taco Spaghetti, and my favorite Cilantro Chicken Bites. But I’m surprised that I don’t […]

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  3. Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites - Julie's Eats & Treats says:
    March 13, 2017 at 3:39 am

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