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Home Recipe Index 6 Ingredients or Less

Easy Meatball Subs

4.8 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 2/28/24Updated: 4/3/25

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This homemade Easy Meatball Sub recipe is hands down one of my family’s favorite sandwiches of all time. With only 4 main ingredients, this mouthwatering meal comes together in just 15 minutes. Be sure to double it and freeze a batch for later using our freezer meal instructions.

Easy homemade meatball sub sandwiches side by side. this …
Photo by Hélène Dujardin for From Freezer to Cooker.


 
Table of Contents
  • Why I Love This Sandwich So Much
  • Ingredients Needed
  • Fast Weeknight Tip
  • How to Make Meatball Subs
  • Meatball Sub Sides
  • Make It a Freezer Meal Kit
  • FAQs
  • More Meatball Recipes
  • Easy Meatball Sub Recipe

Why I Love This Sandwich So Much

This has been in our regular meal rotation for well over a decade now for good reasons. They are super fast to put together, can be prepped ahead of time, and all ages love them.

I still melt when I see these shots of my little boy enjoying meatball subs on our back porch over 10 years ago. ❤️ He’s a big teen boy now and still loves them. I hope your family enjoys them just as much!

A small boy smiling while holding a meatball sub.
A small boy taking a bite of meatball sub sandwich.

Ingredients Needed

Hey-o! Only 4 main ingredients needed for this stellar meatball sub recipe. Make sure you have these items on hand before starting.

  1. Fully cooked meatballs – We suggest doubling the recipe of one of our favorite meatball recipes like our Italian Baked Meatballs, Healthy Beef Meatballs, or Turkey and Veggie Meatballs. Then you can eat one batch for dinner with pasta and use the others for these amazing hot sandwiches! If you really want to save time, buy pre-cooked frozen meatballs from the store. Always check the label and buy the ones with the fewest and most recognizable ingredients.
  2. Marinara sauce – Our homemade sauce is the bomb. Or save time by using a high-quality, store-bought sauce such as Raos brand.
  3. Whole wheat sub rolls or hotdog buns – We prefer using whole wheat (or at least partially whole wheat) rolls for extra nutrition. If you can’t find wheat sub rolls or wheat hotdog buns, another option is wheat bolillo rolls. If you use this kind of bread, hollow out the center like a canoe and place the meatballs inside. This type of bread is handy because the meatballs won’t slip out as easily.
  4. Provolone cheese – It’s helpful to cut the Provolone cheese slices in half. You can also use Mozzarella.
Meatball subs that have been under the broiler, side by side.

Fast Weeknight Tip

To make these on busy week nights, I make a huge batch of Baked Italian Meatballs (or Air Fryer Meatballs) and Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce in advance on the weekend. Then, the sauce and meatballs are ready to go.

Putting the sandwich together and toasting it takes less than 15 minutes that way! I freeze any sauce and meatballs that are leftover or use them on spaghetti the next night.

How to Make Meatball Subs

With only 4 simple steps, you’ll have this meatball sandwich recipe on the table in 15 minutes or less.

Prep Meatballs, Etc

Place the meatballs and marinara sauce in a medium pot. Cover with a lid and warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. 

A shallow platter with meatballs and sauce.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and cover a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.

Toast Bread

Split open the rolls and lay the bread open on the sheet pan. If using wheat bolillos instead of traditional sub rolls, like our images below, you’ll need to hollow out the center. (See Notes in recipe below for more info about bread options.) Place sheet pan on the top rack under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes, until golden. Watch closely so they don’t burn. 

Sub rolls after being broiled on a sheet pan.

Build Sandwiches

To build sandwiches, add warm meatballs to each sub. Top with enough warm marinara sauce to cover meatballs. Lay cut-up Provolone slices over the top of the sauce.

Toasted sub rolls with meatballs in them on a sheet pan.
Toasted sub rolls with meatballs and sauce on top on a sheet pan.
Toasted sub rolls with meatballs, sauce, and Provolone cheese on top.

Broil Sandwiches

Place the sandwiches under the broiler until cheese is melted. Watch closely so they don’t burn. 

Homemade meatballs subs on a sheet pan with melted Provolone cheese, sauce, and chopped parsley on top.
a homemade meatball sub cut in half on a plate

Meatball Sub Sides

Try some of these delicious side dishes to serve with your Meatball Subs.

    • Autumn Chopped Salad or Mandarin Orange Salad

    • Oven Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli

    • Classic Fruit Salad

    • Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes

Make It a Freezer Meal Kit

This is a wonderful freezer meal to take to someone in need or to double and freeze a batch for your family for later.

As authors of two popular freezer meal cookbooks and a go-to website with 100+ of the best freezer meals, we’ve become experts at the most effective methods for freezing meals like these meatball subs.

How to Freeze For Later:

Place cooked meatballs and sauce in one freezer bag. Place cheese and rolls in separate freezer bags. Freeze together as a kit. Be sure to remove as much air as possible from the bags.

How to Prepare From Frozen:

Thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, follow cooking instructions.

Freezer meal kit for easy meatball subs.

FAQs

What type of bread is best for meatball subs?

A sturdy, crusty Italian or hoagie roll works best for meatball subs. You want a bread that can hold up to the juicy meatballs and sauce without becoming too soggy. However, hot dog buns or ciabatta rolls can work too.

Tip: It helps to broil the inside of whatever bun you’re using first to prevent it from getting soggy.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the meatballs ahead of time and either refrigerate them for a day or two, or freeze them for longer storage. Just make sure to reheat them thoroughly before assembling your subs.

Or, you can prepare this entire recipe as a freezer meal kit using our instructions in the post above.

What kind of cheese is best on a meatball sub?

Provolone or mozzarella cheese (either shredded or sliced) melts well over the top. Grated Parmesan cheese can add extra flavor.

More Meatball Recipes

We love meatballs because people of all ages love them, they are easy to make, and super easy to freeze for later. Try some of our other favorites.

for picking up a turkey meatball

Baked Turkey and Veggie Meatballs

Baked Italian meatballs on a white platter with a small bowl of marinara sauce.

Baked Italian Meatballs

healthy baked Italian meatballs in marinara sauce

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

Baked healthy meatballs on a platter with pesto in a small bowl.

Baked Meatballs with Sneaky Veggies

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

Meatball subs that have been under the broiler, side by side.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 5 reviews

Easy Meatball Sub Recipe

This homemade, super easy Meatball Sub recipe is sure to be hit in your home. Use whole grain buns, our Healthy Meatballs, and our Marinara Sauce to make them extra nutritious.

Yield: 4 large sub sandwiches 1x
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 5 minutesTotal: 15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 12–16 fully cooked meatballs (like our Italian Baked Meatballs, Healthy Beef Meatballs, or Turkey and Veggie Meatballs)
  • About 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (or half of a store-bought jar)
  • 4 whole wheat sub rolls (sub: hotdog buns)
  • 4–6 slices Provolone cheese (sub: mozzarella cheese)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Prep: Place the meatballs and marinara sauce in a medium pot. Cover with a lid and warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Preheat the broiler. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
  2. Toast Bread: Split open the rolls (or hollow them out if using bolillos*) and lay the bread open on the sheet pan. Place sheet pan on the top rack under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes, until golden. Watch closely so they don’t burn. 
  3. Build Sandwiches: To build sandwiches, add 3-4 warm meatballs to each sub. Top with enough warm marinara sauce, about 1/4 cup, to cover meatballs. Lay 1 to 1 1/2 Provolone slices over the top of the sauce, so sandwiches are entirely covered. If needed, cut slices in half to fit properly.
  4. Broil Sandwiches: Place the sandwiches under the broiler until cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes. Watch closely so they don’t burn. 

Freeze For Later:

Place cooked meatballs and sauce in one freezer bag. Place cheese and rolls in separate freezer bags. Freeze together as a kit. Be sure to remove as much air as possible from the bags.

Prepare From Frozen:

Thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, follow cooking instructions. 


Notes/Tips

*What Kind of Bread to Use: We prefer using whole wheat (or at least partially whole wheat) rolls for extra nutrition. If you can’t find wheat sub rolls or wheat hotdog buns, another option is wheat Bolillo rolls. If you use this kind of bread, hollow out the center like a canoe and place the meatballs inside. This type of bread is handy because the meatballs won’t slip out as easily.

Where We Get Our Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.

Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free ciabatta rolls or sandwich rolls. I like the Schar brand and can usually find those at Walmart or our local Hy-Vee store.

Dairy-Free Option: Use meatballs that have no cheese or milk in them. If you make one of our meatball recipes, follow the “dairy-free instructions” in the Notes section of the recipes. Then, either omit the Provolone cheese slices or use dairy-free cheese slices like Daiya brand.

© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: American Method: Baked

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Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.

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Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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  1. N Martin says

    Posted on 3/12/25 at 5:21 pm

    We take a meal to a church family weekly. This was great to have all in a bag with a bagged salad, all she had to do was pull the meatballs out of the freezer. Her kids loved it and it was enough for 2 meals.

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 3/13/25 at 8:35 am

      What a blessing to the family in church. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer Perez says

    Posted on 1/7/25 at 9:32 pm

    I made these for dinner tonight using the Healthy Baked Meatballs, and wow!! These were amazing! I made them using gluten-free bread for me and bolillos for the rest of my family. My older son is very picky, and he loved them so much he asked if I could make them again tomorrow night!

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 1/8/25 at 9:53 am

      Ha! Picky Eater Approved! Love to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Jennifer.

      Reply
  3. AMathews says

    Posted on 11/6/24 at 2:52 pm

    Easy to follow and so good!!

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 11/6/24 at 7:03 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.

      Reply
  4. Heather Morehouse says

    Posted on 8/21/23 at 4:08 pm

    Delicious! Makes lots for freezing.

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 8/21/23 at 4:37 pm

      Yes! So glad you enjoy it, Heather. Thanks for leaving a review!

      Reply
  5. Carla says

    Posted on 2/16/23 at 10:16 am

    Meatball sandwiches are one of my favorite things to pick up from sub shops. This recipe is so easy and blows them all out of the water!

    Reply
  6. April says

    Posted on 10/13/14 at 3:30 pm

    Just wanted to say that I love your blog and all these recipes! I’ve made (and passed on) many of these recipes and these homemade meatballs are my husband’s favorite. He keeps requesting I make them like every other week and he’s never liked my cooking before. 🙂

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      Posted on 10/13/14 at 9:36 pm

      Ah, thanks. I’m blushing. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Sara says

    Posted on 7/27/14 at 9:24 pm

    Yumm! Just made these tonight! Simple to put together & very tasty!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      Posted on 7/27/14 at 9:31 pm

      Awesome, Sara. So glad! I need to make these again soon.

      Reply
  8. Jen says

    Posted on 5/9/14 at 4:58 pm

    Delicious! Had these for dinner last, and will definitely be making them again! I also added in a stalk of celery and a little green pepper. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      Posted on 5/10/14 at 8:48 pm

      Yum! Sounds great. I’m so glad you’d enjoyed them. We had them this week too with no complaints.

      Reply
  9. Rose says

    Posted on 9/22/13 at 6:14 pm

    Do you freeze the meatballs and sauce mixed together or separate?
    Just had them for dinner and my toddlers loved them!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      Posted on 9/23/13 at 6:33 am

      I freeze them in the sauce. It keeps them moist and makes it easy to warm up on the stove that way. Congrats on getting the toddlers to like these guys. I always do a little dance, well figuratively, when my little ones try a new healthy food!

      Reply
  10. Brittany says

    Posted on 6/3/13 at 5:30 pm

    Yummy! I’m going to have to make these for our family! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      Posted on 6/3/13 at 11:05 pm

      Hope you enjoy them. Never get a complaint with these. And that’s hard to come by! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Janice says

    Posted on 10/16/12 at 5:03 am

    I’m really trying to serve my family healthier meals. I’ve discovered grass fed beef and have been searching for recipes for grass fed beef. My family is going to love these meatball subs and I’ll feel good serving it to them.

    Reply
  12. Darcie says

    Posted on 10/14/12 at 3:55 am

    I’m excited to try these, Rach! I love all the additions. 🙂

    Reply
  13. The Better Baker says

    Posted on 10/14/12 at 3:36 am

    These look sooo mouth-watering! Love you little guy with the stringy cheese out of his mouth. =) Thanks so much for linking up at Weekend Potluck. I love anything you can put a healthy spin on.

    Reply

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Meatball subs on a sheet pan.