Meatball Subs
These meatball subs are stuffed with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs that are cooked in a flavorful, homemade marinara sauce. The sauce and meatballs are placed in a soft, homemade roll and topped with cheese. The subs are broiled until golden and the cheese is melted for the perfect, delicious bite.
Meatball subs are one of those meals that everyone seems to love. Not only are they delicious, but they are fun to make and they are a meal that your whole family can get involved in doing. My kids love getting messy and helping roll the meatballs. Certainly, you don’t have to make the marinara sauce and rolls from scratch, but if you do, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s what you need to know…
First things first, you need to make the sub rolls (if you are making these from scratch) first. The dough takes the longest to make, due to the rising time. However, the rolls can be made in under an hour. When you mix the dough, make sure you don’t mix the salt directly on top of the yeast, as it will deactivate the yeast. Once the dough is mixed, allow it to rise for 20 minutes, then divide the dough into 5 pieces. Roll the dough into 5 logs, then place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. I like to flatten the rolls slightly so that they are a bit wider. Preheat the oven to 200F, then TURN OFF THE OVEN, and place covered rolls in oven. This allows the rolls a warm place to rise and will help them rise faster. it only takes 20 minutes for their 2nd rise.
While the rolls rise, make the meatballs. Once the meatballs are made, I like to use the same pan for the sauce. I use tongs to hold a paper towel to clean out the extra grease in the pan (so that I don’t burn myself). Certainly you can use a clean pan instead. When you make the sauce, make sure you stir the sauce frequently so that the tomatoes and shallot doesn’t burn. Mash the tomatoes gently with a fork. Be careful, the tomatoes can squirt hot juice out, so stand back from the pan. Add the meatballs to the pan and stir to coat meatballs.
Once the rolls are done rising, brush the rolls with egg wash then place in oven. No need to preheat the oven. Turn it on and bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Once the rolls are done, slice roll in half, horizontally and assemble the sandwiches: Roll, sauce, meatballs, cheese. Place under. broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until roll is lightly golden and cheese is melted.
If you make these make sure you let me know what you think down below (rating and comment). Find me on instagram or youtube, where you can see the full cooking video for these subs. If you follow me on instagram, you can see some fun behind the scenes 🙂 .
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Meatball Subs
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
Description
These meatball subs are stuffed with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs that are cooked in a flavorful, homemade marinara sauce. The sauce and meatballs are placed in a soft, homemade roll and topped with cheese. The subs are broiled until golden and the cheese is melted for the perfect, delicious bite.
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups water (warmed to 110F)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 shallots, cut into thin slices
- 2 cloves garlic, grated, or finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup water
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg, beaten
Toppings
- Provolone Cheese
Instructions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all ingredients for homemade sub rolls. Mix until a dough ball forms at low speed, then mix for 8 minutes at medium speed. Add dough to lightly greased bowl. Lightly spray the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200F.
3. Once dough has rested, punch dough down and cut into 5 equal pieces of dough. Roll into a log on a lightly floured surface. Place on lightly greased sheet pan. Flatten rolls slightly with hand (this will help the rolls be wider). Cover rolls with kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
4. Turn off oven, then place rolls in oven. Allow to rise for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for meatballs. Roll into round meatballs.
6. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides and fully cooked through (160F internal temperature). Remove meatballs from pan and set aside. Very carefully, using a paper towel and tongs, wipe the excess grease out of the skillet.
7. Once rolls are done rising, remove from oven, brush rolls with egg wash, and place in oven. Turn oven on to 375 and bake for 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Make the Marinara Sauce. Add all ingredients for the sauce to the same skillet the meatballs were cooked in. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Once tomatoes are softened, gently mash tomatoes with fork. Cook additional 2-5 minutes to thicken sauce, depending on how thick you want the sauce.
9. Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat meatballs in sauce.
10. Slice rolls in half, add sauce, meatballs and provolone cheese. Leave sub open. Place subs under broiler in oven for 1-2 minutes to fully melt cheese and heat everything through (keep an eye on the bread so it doesn’t burn). Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 1 hour (for sub rolls to be made + everything else)
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
