Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Meatball Subs – Mouthwatering baked homemade meatballs in marinara sauce served on toasty french rolls with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Serve with potato chips or french fries.

Meatball subs are one of my absolute favorite comfort meals. Not only are these subs mouthwatering good, they they are super easy to make!

We served ours with potato chips but they would also be great with fries or a fresh salad. I’ll link a few of my favorite side dishes to pair with this recipe for you below.

This recipe will make 4-6 sub sandwiches giving each person 3-4 meatballs per sandwich. If you are cooking for a large crowd, you can easily double the recipe.

Ingredients you need to make Meatball Sub Sandwiches:

French Rolls – You can use your favorite sub sandwich roll in this recipe! You’ll need about 4-6 rolls depending on how big the roll is and how many meatballs you can fit.

Marinara Sauce – You’ll need 3 cups of marinara/pasta sauce. You can use my recipe or your favorite 24 oz. jar of pasta sauce.

Mozzarella Cheese – Grated or sliced mozzarella cheese both work great in this recipe.

Parmesan Cheese – You’ll need parmesan cheese to top the sandwiches with and to put in the meatball mixture.

Ground Beef – I recommend using a leaner ground beef. I used 88/12.. I would recommend using 85 or leaner to prevent the meatballs from shrinking up.

Egg – This will go into the meatball mixture to help hold the meatballs together.

Onion – You can use yellow, white or red onion in this recipe.

Garlic Cloves – Fresh garlic is best.

Worcestershire Sauce – Adds a really nice flavor to the meatballs.

Ritz Crackers – If you don’t have ritz crackers, you can also use panko or regular breadcrumbs.

Basil – Fresh or dried basil both work great in this recipe.

Oregano – Fresh or dried oregano both work great in this recipe.

Parsley – Fresh or dried parsley both work great in this recipe.

All-Purpose Flour – Assists in holding the meatballs together nicely while baking.

Brown Sugar – Adds a nice slight sweetness to the meatball. You can use light or dark brown sugar.

Ketchup – If you don’t have ketchup, you can use tomato sauce instead.

Mustard – Yellow mustard or grainy/dijon mustard all work great.

Black Pepper – Fresh cracked or ground.

Salt – I used sea salt, but you can use your favorite cooking salt.

*Full measurements and instructions listed below.

Tools to have on hand for this recipe:

• Baking Sheet – To bake the meatballs on.
• Parchment Paper – To prevent the meatballs from making a mess on your baking sheet.
• Mixing Bowls – To make the meatball mixture.
• Measuring Cups + Spoons – For properly measuring all of your ingredients.
• Saucepan – For heating up the sauce and tossing meatballs in before serving.

How to make homemade Meatball Sub Sandwiches:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix until fully incorporated.

Form meatballs using a 1 1/2 tbsp scoop or with your hands. This should make 20 meatballs. Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Heat marinara/pasta sauce up on the stove in a large pot. Gently toss meatballs in the sauce.

Place french rolls on a baking sheet and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Assemble sandwiches by placing about 3-4 meatballs on each sub along with some sauce from the dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Side dishes to serve with meatball subs:

Shoestring Fries – Thin and crispy baked shoestring french fries make for a delicious side dish or appetizer! Serve with your favorite fry sauces.

Baked Potato Wedges – Seasoned potato wedges baked to golden perfection are the perfect appetizer or side dish. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces!

Simple Caesar Salad – My quick and easy caesar salad is made with homemade dressing, crunchy romaine, croutons and freshly shaved parmesan cheese. Serve this salad with grilled chicken for a healthy dinner or lunch or as a simple flavor packed side salad.

Classic American Potato Salad –  Made with hard boiled eggs, this classic potato salad is creamy and delicious!

More favorite sandwich recipes you’ll love:

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches – Melt in your mouth beef roast cooked in slow cooker with tender onions piled high on top a french roll with swiss cheese. Serve with au jus sauce for absolute perfection.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches – Made with baked parmesan chicken, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce on toasty bread!

Fried Chicken Sliders – The most delicious baked fried chicken sliders served on toasted Hawaiian rolls with dill pickle chips, shredded lettuce and sriracha aioli. These chicken sliders are so amazingly good!

Steakhouse Burger – Made with a juicy quarter pound ground beef patty, sharp cheddar cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms with mayonnaise and mustard.

This post was originally published on December 10, 2018 and updated on June 23, 2021.