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 lb ground beef 80/20
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 heaping teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 1/4 cup yellow onion grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs regular or gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
Herbed Garlic Butter:
- 2-3 tablespoons butter room temp
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs minced (thyme, rosemary and/or oregano)*
Subs:
- 5 large hoagies
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (more if desired)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, ground pork, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, grated onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and 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.
- Bring a 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter and let melt; swirl to coat the pan. Add meatballs and sear on all sides. Add marinara sauce and diced tomatoes. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are simmering, combine the Herbed Garlic Butter in a small bowl.
- Turn the oven to Broil.
- Prepare the 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 shredded mozzarella cheese.
- 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. 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.
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