Italian Meatball Sub Sandwiches With Gooey Mozzarella and a Roll That Holds
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It is 6:45 on a Thursday, there is a bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer and a jar of marinara in the cupboard, and the two of them have been waiting for you to notice. This italian meatball sub recipe is 18 minutes from the first simmer to the last napkin, and it is a messy sandwich, which is a good test of how comfortable you are with whoever you are eating it with. Sauce on the chin is a look that only works at home.
Meatballs in marinara, a toasted roll, and a lid of melted mozzarella.
Nothing here needs a second pan or a second plan: the skillet does the meatballs, the toaster or oven does the rolls, and the broiler does the last two minutes. It is the sandwich that makes a Thursday feel as though it has a plan.
What you need
- 20 frozen meatballs
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 4 sub rolls
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1.25 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 20 oz ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 eggs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
How to make it
- Place the 20 frozen meatballs and the 2 cups of marinara sauce in a skillet over medium heat. (2 minutes)
- Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Split the 4 whole sub rolls and toast them lightly. (4 minutes)
- Fill each of the 4 whole sub rolls with 5 meatballs and some of the marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle the 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the meatballs in each sub.
- Broil the subs for 2 minutes until the mozzarella cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Season the subs with salt and black pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
This italian meatball sub recipe is built for speed. You start the meatballs and the marinara in a skillet over medium heat, and it takes about two minutes to get going. Then the simmer runs for ten minutes, with the occasional stir, until the meatballs are heated through. Toast the rolls while that happens, which takes about four minutes, so nothing waits on anything.
Fill each roll with five meatballs and some of the sauce. Be generous with the meatballs and sparing with the sauce at this stage, because the sauce soaks into bread fast, and you can always spoon more on at the table. Keep a little in the skillet for that.
The mozzarella, a cup of it, goes over the meatballs in each sub. Then the subs go under the broiler for two minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. The broiler is hot and fast, so stay at the oven and look through the door.
A few basil leaves tucked in among the meatballs are an optional finish, and a good one if you have a plant on the windowsill. Basil is not on the ingredient list, so add it only if you have it.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper before serving, because the marinara and the cheese vary in saltiness. Taste a meatball with a little sauce first, then add salt a pinch at a time.
SwipeCart will match you with the rolls, the marinara and the mozzarella in one swipe, which is more commitment than a bag of frozen meatballs has ever asked of you.
Cooked leftovers keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Store the meatballs and sauce in one container and the rolls separately, then rebuild the subs, because a roll that has spent a night in sauce does not recover.
Swaps that actually work
The meatballs in marinara are the point of this italian meatball sub recipe, so leave that pairing alone.
The list also carries ground beef, breadcrumbs, an egg, parmesan, garlic and Italian seasoning, while the method runs on the frozen meatballs. You do not need those extras to make the subs as written, so treat them as a pantry list rather than a requirement.
Frozen meatballs can come in beef, turkey, chicken and plant-based versions, and any of them will work in the skillet. Check the package for heating instructions, and make sure poultry meatballs reach 165°F and beef meatballs reach 160°F.
Provolone or a mozzarella and provolone blend can replace the plain mozzarella, and a little parmesan on top adds a salty edge. Shredded cheese from a bag is convenient, though a block you shred yourself melts more smoothly.
A crusty roll is better than a soft one. A soft bun gives way under the sauce, while a roll with a proper crust and a chewy inside is the one that will hold up through the toast, the sauce and the broiler.
A jar of marinara is exactly what this was built for. If the jar in your cart is thin, simmer it a minute longer, because thick sauce stays in the sandwich.
The swap that costs you the dish is skipping the broiler. Without the two minutes under the heat, the cheese is a topping, and with it the cheese becomes part of the sandwich.
Swipe this italian meatball sub recipe into SwipeCart and the agent shops the cart, which means the only thing left to decide is whether you are a two-sub person. You are probably a two-sub person.
If it goes wrong
The roll is soggy. The sauce was too thin, or the roll was too soft. Simmer the sauce a little longer so it thickens, toast the rolls properly and fill them just before they go under the broiler.
The meatballs are cold in the middle. They were not simmered long enough, or the skillet was crowded. Give them the full ten minutes, stir them now and then, and cut one open to check before you build the subs.
The cheese did not melt. The subs sat too far from the broiler, or there was not enough cheese. Move the tray closer to the element and give them an extra thirty seconds, watching all the while.
It tastes flat. Most likely salt. Taste the sauce before it goes in the rolls, and finish with the salt and black pepper from the list.
What to serve with it
The default is a bag of chips, and it is a good one.
The better version of the default is a crisp green salad with a sharp vinegar dressing. The sub is warm, soft and rich, and the salad is the cold, bright thing that makes the second half feel like a choice rather than a dare.
The thing in the fridge that lifts it is a jar of pickled peppers or sliced pepperoncini, which sit beautifully alongside the sauce.
It is a respectable lunch the next day if you rebuild it with fresh rolls and reheated meatballs.
Why this one earns its place
This italian meatball sub recipe is proof that dinner does not have to be a project. It is one pan, a broiler and a few things you probably already have, and it ends in a sandwich that looks like a restaurant order.
Swipe it into your week and the agent handles the cart, which leaves you free to pick your napkins. If you want to cook once and eat twice, meal prep for the week shows how to stretch a night like this across the week, and the baked ziti and French onion soup meatballs are the other places this marinara and these meatballs would feel at home.
More like this: all Italian recipes in Crave Corner.