Tender, homemade meatballs, simmered in a rich tomato sauce then stuffed into a toasted bun, topped with cheese is a sandwich lovers dream! Meatball Parmesan Subs are a great way to feed a hungry crowd on game day and are always a favorite at suppertime.
One of our family’s favorite recipes is my homemade meatballs and sauce. I can’t count how many times I’ve made them over the years. I’ve served them for supper, at parties, when I’ve had the drum line over and I always have a batch in the freezer to heat up when I need them. Recently, I turned my tried and true recipe into something a bit different and served the meatballs in sub rolls, topped with cheese. I don’t know what I’d been waiting on all this time! Everyone at the table loved them and quickly devoured the first batch I made. I used a couple of different kinds of cheese, which, of course, was going to make things extra delicious. I also used “split top” hot dog rolls which are a bit smaller than traditional sub rolls. I was able to stuff two meatballs into each roll which made eating the subs a whole lot easier!
What you’ll need to make Meatball Parmesan Subs:
- Homemade meatballs
- Marinara sauce
- Mozzerella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- split top hot dog rolls
These subs are really easy to make and are absolutely mouthwatering. They can also help stretch your food budget because the ground beef goes a long way since you’re adding extra ingredients and turning them into meatballs.
Recipe tips for making Meatball Parmesan Subs:
- Make the homemade meatballs! They melt in your mouth and are worth a little bit of time, which, honestly is not much at all. If you really, really have to use frozen, make sure to use a a brand that has very little fillers.
- You can make a double batch of the meat balls and freeze what you’re not using. To make for later, cook the meatballs, let cool, then, freeze, thaw and reheat when you’re ready to use them.
- When making the sauce, use good quality canned tomatoes. I use San Marzano. They are a bit more expensive but you’ll be really glad you used them. The taste and texture is noticeable, so go for the good stuff.
- If at all possible, grate your own cheese. I used Mozzarella and Parmesan. The combination of both cheeses makes all the difference and you’ll love it!
- To keep the bread from getting soggy, toast the buns before you build the sub. I slather on butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and toast until brown before stuffing my rolls with the meatballs.
- If you’re serving the subs for game day, keep the meatballs in the sauce warm in your slow cooker. Just lay out all the ingredients, have your guests build their own sub, them pop them until the broiler to melt the cheese.
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Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 2 eggs - beaten
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
Sauce
- 2 28 oz. cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Subs
- 8 split top rolls - I used hot dog rolls
- 1 tablespoon butter - softened
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese - grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
Instructions
Meatballs
- Place ground beef, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic powder, sour cream and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix gently with your hands being careful not to over work.
- Using an ice cream scoop, roll mixture into 1 ¼ inch balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown.
Sauce
- Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Add onion and cook on medium low heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for approximately 2 minutes being careful not to burn. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. This can be done while meatballs are cooking in oven. When meatballs are done, add to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
Subs
- Spread butter inside each of the split top rolls. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Press rolls open and place on a baking sheet. Toast in oven until slightly brown. Remove from oven.
- Carefully stuff each roll with two meatballs and ladle on extra sauce. Top with shredded Mozzarella cheese. Set oven to broil and place baking sheet in oven. Watching so that the bread does not burn, broil the subs until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
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San Marzanos make all the difference in the world! They are my favorite tomato. ???
I agree! Enjoy, Becky.
~Donya
This recipe for Meatball Parmesan Subs calls for 1/2 TEASPOON of sour cream. Another recipe of yours for Homemade Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, almost identical to this, minus the sub rolls, calls for 1/2 CUP of sour cream. Which is correct, teaspoon or cup? Thank you.
Hey there Barbara!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe and letting me know about the typo, it’s much appreciated. I have corrected the recipe card on the meatball parmesan sub post, the meatballs need 1/2 cup of sour cream. I really hope you enjoy the recipe, it makes for a delicious weeknight meal, let me know if you have any other question!
~Donya