Meatball Subs

These gooey Meatball Subs are ideal for casual dining and game day eats. They're made using a single loaf of Italian bread, stuffed with homemade meatballs smothered with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. It's a winner, regardless of when they're served.

Giant Meatball Subs are the Epitome of Party Food

When I pass the fully stocked displays of those inexpensive loaves of French and Italian style bread at the grocery store, I can't help, but dream of different ways to use them.  Whether it's sweet, cinnamon roll french bread or open faced taco stuffed bread to shake-up our Taco Tuesday. In this instance, I like  to make one giant meatball sub as a fun way to add eye candy to the table. The sheer size makes it a thing of interest plus, you can cut it into any size portions you like.

Helpful Tips for Making Meatball Subs in the Oven

• I use a large, fluffy Italian loaf from the grocery store to make these subs. For dinner portions, I typically cut a 16 inch load into 4 inch portions. Appetizer portions, you could cut it into 1 or 2 inch portions it's your call.
• Please note, bread length may vary in size by an inch or two. Don't sweat the small stuff.
• For a timesaver, the meatballs can be made in advance and chilled or frozen. If frozen, thaw in the fridge before assembling.
• You can lighten-up this sub using light butter, ground chicken or turkey sausage and low fat mozzarella cheese.
• If you don't have garlic salt, use either fresh minced garlic or granulated garlic plus table salt, instead.
• You can use any flavor of marinara sauce that you enjoy. I highly recommend using a flavorful seasoned marinara sauce to enhance the end result. A  bland sauce will result in a bland tasting sub. Don't skimp.
• Use a sharp knife and a cutting board to cut the sub into portions. Hold the loaf firmly with one hand so, the cheesy meatballs won't slip out.

Other Irresistible Bread Loaf Recipes to Try

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Bread
• Sloppy Joe Stuffed Bread
• Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Barbecue Chicken Bacon French Bread Pizza
• Homemade French Bread recipe from Crazy for Crust

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Nonstick Broiler Pan
• 2 oz Scoop
• Serrated Bread Knife
• Parmesan Cheese Grater

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5 from 1 vote

Meatball Subs

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Italian-meatball-recipes, meatball-subs-recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 651kcal

Ingredients

• 1 16-18 inch fluffy bakery Italian loaf sliced in half, leave one side attached
• ½ cup butter softened
• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt divided
• ½ lb ground beef
• ½ lb sweet or hot Italian sausage
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling over sub
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1 ½ teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes adjust to taste, optional
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 28 oz marinara sauce
• 10 slices mozzarella cheese or 2 cups shredded
• 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley for serving

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Instructions

• To make meatballs: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a broiler pan or a large baking pan fitted with a rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
• To a medium size mixing bowl add ground beef and sausage, onion, panko, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Beat milk and eggs together then, add to the bowl. Using your hands, mix everything together thoroughly.
• Form into 1 - 1 ½ inch meatballs and place onto the pan without touching. (It's helpful to use a medium size scoop to keep meatballs uniform in size) Bake for 22-25 minutes.
• To assemble subs: Preheat oven to broil. Line a large baking pan with parchment. Mix ½ teaspoon garlic salt into butter. Spread on each side of bread. Toast very lightly then remove from oven. Lower oven temp to 425°F.
• Arrange 5 cheese slices on bottom half. Toss meatballs with half jar of marinara sauce. Arrange over cheese.
• Top meatballs with remaining cheese slices. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, eyeball the amount. Fold top half over meatballs, leaving cheese partially exposed. (You can use a 6 inch water soaked bamboo skewer to hold the two sides together, if needed)
• Lay foil loosely on top. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Increase to broil at the end of baking to brown cheese.
• Use a sharp knife to cut into 4 even pieces, or as desired.
• Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with remaining warmed marinara on the side.

Notes

• The meatballs can be made in advance and chilled until assembling. 
• You can lighten-up this sub using light butter, ground chicken or turkey sausage and low fat mozzarella cheese.
• You can use any flavor of marinara sauce that you enjoy. I highly recommend using a flavorful seasoned marinara sauce to enhance the end result. A  bland sauce will result in a bland tasting sub. Don't skimp.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sub | Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 1724mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 3mg

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