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Meatball subs have always been one of my favorite sandwiches. I remember when we were younger we had a habit of going to Subway on Sundays and I’d always get a Meatball Sub and they were just so good!
Then over the past few years I’ve fallen in love with the meatball subs at Firehouse Subs. Why, oh why have I never made these at home until now?!?
A few weeks ago, my best friend, Nicole, came over and showed me how to make homemade Italian meatballs. These meatballs are 100% perfect for meatball subs and now I’m meatball sub obsessed again!
Ps. if you’re looking for a Turkey Meatballs recipe, we have one on the blog too!
What you’ll need to make Homemade Meatball Subs:
- ground beef
- ground pork
- Italian bread crumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- shredded Italian cheese blend
- eggs
- salt
- dried parsley
- minced garlic
- bacon bits
- crushed tomatoes
- pasta sauce
- dried basil
- provolone cheese slices
- sub rolls
How to make Homemade Meatball Subs:
Preheat oven 400F and let beef and pork slightly come to room temperature. You don’t have too BUT if you try to mix everything by hand right from the fridge, you’re hands are going to freeze!
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese, eggs, salt, dried parsley, minced garlic and bacon bits.
Mix everything together until completely combined. Mixture should easily stay together when smashed into a ball. If mixture is too dry add another egg, or if it is too eat and goopy, add a bit more bread crumbs.
Use 3 tablespoons worth of meat mixture for each meatball.
Take 3 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into golf ball sized meatballs.
Place meatballs in a baking dish or casserole dish. Nicole likes to use these disposable trays when she’s making a ton of meatballs for easy clean up!
NOTE! You can use any pasta sauce or crushed tomatoes that you want. Nicole loves homemade sauce and for crushed tomatoes she likes to use Furmanos OR Tuttorosso Tomatoes.
If you’re looking for the best store-bought sauce for meatball subs, I recommend the mixture of the Tuttorosso Tomatoes and Hunts 4 Cheese Sauce!
Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce over all of the meatballs.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried basil on top.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Once you’ve got the meat balls all cooked, it’s time to make the subs!
Lay a few pieces of provolone cheese into a sliced sub roll, add hot meatballs and the a dash of parsley.
Meatball sub toppings:
- Provolone Cheese Slices
- Parmesan Cheese
- Dried Parsley
- Mozzarella cheese
What to serve with meatball subs:
Homemade Meatball Subs FAQ
1. Are these authentic Italian Meatballs? We’re going to call this particular recipe authentic American-Italian Meatballs. This is how Nicole and her husband’s (Mario) family in Italy make them but we substituted a few ingredients that are easier to find in local American grocery stores.
2. Can I use fresh basil instead of dried? YES! Nicole actually prefers fresh basil but my basil plant was bare. She likes to use 5 basil leaves scattered on top of the sauce before baking the meat balls instead of the dried basil I use.
3. Can I use something other than bacon bits? Yep! We used bacon bits but crispy prosciutto is preferred!
4. How long do you bake meatballs in the oven? Bake these meatballs at 400F for 1 hour and 30 minutes total.
4. What kind of bread do I use for homemade meatball subs? You can use Submarine sandwich bun, hoagie roll or even a ripped baguette! To be honest, I’d eat a meatball sub on a hot dog bun if I needed to hahaha.
More Italian themed recipes that you might like:
Homemade Meatball Subs
Homemade Meatball Subs
If you love Meatball Subs you're going to want this recipe for homemade meatballs for these Homemade Meatball Subs! These tasty meatball subs are delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon dried parsley
- 4 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
- 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 48 oz pasta sauce
- tablespoon dried basil
- provolone cheese slices (amount depending on how may subs)
- sub rolls (amount depending on how may subs)
Instructions
Preheat oven 400F.
Let beef and pork slightly come to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese,eggs, salt, dried parsley, minced garlic and bacon bits.
Mix everything together until completely combined.
Use 3 tablespoons worth of meat mixture for each meatball.
Take 3 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into golf ball sized meatballs.
Place meatballs in a baking dish or casserole dish.
Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce over all of the meatballs.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried basil on top.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Once you’ve got the meat balls all cooked, it’s time to make the subs!
Lay a few pieces of provolone cheese into a sliced sub roll, add hot meatballs and the a dash of parsley.
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Would these be good with spaghetti (and meatballs).