Best Meatball Sub Recipe
Meatball Sub Recipe - a delicious, flavorful meatball sub recipe on soft hoagie buns with herbed garlic butter, fresh mozzarella and dipping sauce!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup yellow onion grated
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs regular or gluten-free
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
Herbed Garlic Butter:
- 2-3 tablespoons butter room temp
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs minced (thyme, rosemary and/or oregano)*
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- pinch kosher salt
Subs:
- 5 large hoagie buns
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (more if desired)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make Meatballs: Combine 1 pound ground beef, ½ pound ground pork, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ¼ cup yellow onion, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Take approx. 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture at a time and form into a meatball. Set aside on a plate until all the meatballs are formed.
- Cook Meatballs: Bring a 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and let melt; swirl to coat the pan. Add meatballs and sear on all sides. Add 24 ounces marinara sauce and 15 ounces diced tomatoes. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes.
- Make Herbed Garlic Butter: While the meatballs are simmering, put 2-3 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon fresh herbs, 2 teaspoons garlic, and a pinch kosher salt in a small bowl. Mix to combine.
- Preheat: Turn the oven to Broil.
- Build Subs: Prepare 5 large hoagie buns by ensuring they are sliced halfway open. You *can* remove some of the soft insides if you feel there is too much - this is optional. Spread some Herbed Garlic Butter in the inside of each hoagie. When the meatballs are done add 3 meatballs to each hoagie (Note: save any leftover marinara sauce for later - it will be our dipping sauce!). Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Broil: Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes - watch closely - once the cheese is melted and just starts to brown a bit, remove from oven.
- Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with the excess marinara sauce from the skillet so you can dunk your subs!!!
Notes
- Herbed Butter: if you don't have fresh I would simply use a teaspoon or two of a dried italian seasoning here.
- Meal Prep: make the meatballs ahead of time and store in refrigerator in an airtight container - when it is time to make dinner simply warm up the meatballs quick, assemble the subs and broil until cheese is melted!
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a dairy-free parmesan cheese in the meatballs, shredded dairy-free mozzarella cheese and vegan butter.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free use gluten-free breadcrumbs in the meatballs and a gluten-free hoagie bun.
- Servings: makes 5 meatballs subs, 2 servings per sub
- Hoagie Buns: you can just use a hot dog bun if you want - in which case I would probably make the meatballs a bit smaller - as written, they are pretty big and meant for a bigger hoagie-style bun.
- Breadcrumbs: you can use store-bought, homemade bread crumbs or gluten-free.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 592mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 679IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 4mg
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