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Italian Meatball Subs
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Meatball Subs

Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword Italian-meatball-recipes, meatball-subs-recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 651kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 16-18 inch fluffy bakery Italian loaf sliced in half, leave one side attached
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt divided
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling over sub
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 1 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes adjust to taste, optional
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 28 oz marinara sauce
  • 10 slices mozzarella cheese or 2 cups shredded
  • 1 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley for serving

Instructions

  • 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 tsp 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 1/2 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.
  • Assemble Subs: Preheat oven to broil. Line a large baking pan with parchment. Mix 1/2 tsp 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