Easy and delicious homemade meatball subs, with homemade meatballs, garlic butter, provolone cheese, basil and optional homemade sub rolls, too!

Meatball subs sliced in half on a baking sheet.

Meatball subs are always a special treat, and with this recipe, you can choose to make everything from scratch (buns, meatballs and marinara sauce) or substitute store-bought versions as you like.

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Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Sub rolls – I have a great recipe for homemade sub rolls if you’d like to make your own. Otherwise, store-bought sub rolls are fine. I also enjoy store-bought ciabata buns for meatballs subs.

Ground beef – I generally use lean ground beef, but extra-lean is fine as well. Medium ground beef is always an option, though it is fattier and can cause the meatballs to be a bit looser.

Ground pork – The combination of ground beef and ground pork makes for great meatballs, but if you prefer, you can use all ground beef if you like.

Canned tomatoes – Use the best quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano for the richest marinara sauce.

Fresh basil – I think fresh basil is a great addition to meatball subs, so I recommend it if possible. Otherwise, dried basil is fine.

How to make meatball subs

This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making this recipe.

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  1. Start by making the meatballs and placing them onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake.
  2. While the meatballs are baking, start the marinara sauce, then add the baked meatballs to the marinara sauce.
  3. Split the sub rolls lengthwise and brush with garlic butter.
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  1. Spoon the meatballs with sauce onto the sub roll.
  2. Sprinkle some fresh basil over the meatballs.
  3. Top with shredded cheese and broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
Meatball subs on baking sheet.

Recipe tips!

  • You can make the sub rolls, marinara and/or meatballs ahead and refrigerate.
  • If using uncooked store-bought meatballs, cook according to the package instructions before adding to the sauce. For cooked store-bought meatballs, you can add them directly to the simmering sauce (even from frozen).
  • If it happens to be tomato season, try my easy oven roasted marinara sauce recipe.

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Meatball subs sliced in half on a baking sheet.

Get the Recipe: Meatball Subs

Easy and delicious homemade meatball subs, with homemade meatballs, garlic butter, provolone cheese, basil and optional homemade sub rolls, too!
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce (or use store-bought):

  • 28 oz canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Meatballs (or use store-bought):

  • 4 cups day-old bread, crusts removed and cubed
  • 2 cups milk or buttermilk
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1/3 cup marinara sauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the meatballs subs:

  • 2 sub rolls, homemade sub rolls or store-bought, split lengthwise
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 cups mozzarella or provolone cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • Tip! You can use store-bought meatballs if you like. Look for Italian meatballs, either fresh or pre-cooked frozen meatballs. For fresh meatballs, cook according to the package instructions, then add to the simmering sauce. For pre-cooked frozen meatballs, add them directly to the simmering sauce from frozen and simmer with the sauce until thawed and warmed through.

For the meatballs:

  • Preheat oven to 450F. Add bread to a large bowl, pour milk over. Let it stand to soak. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Gently squeeze the liquid out of the bread and add it to the meat mixture. Form into meatballs about golf ball-sized (will make about 20). Place onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until deeply golden. Make the marinara sauce while the meatballs are cooking.
  • Tip! You can use store-bought marinara sauce instead of making your own. Simply add to a large saucepan and heat.

For the marinara sauce:

  • Pour the canned tomatoes with juices into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Add 1 cup of water to the empty can and swirl it around to get any leftover tomato juices in the can. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large, wide and shallow skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the garlic. As soon as garlic starts to sizzle, add the tomatoes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add about half of the reserved tomato water, the red pepper flakes, salt, and fresh basil. Stir to combine. Simmer the sauce until thickened, about 15 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add additional water from the can as needed.
  • When the meatballs are cooked, add to the simmering marinara sauce.

To assemble the sub:

  • Make the garlic butter by combining the olive oil, melted butter and garlic in a small bowl.
  • Split the sub rolls lengthwise and place them onto a baking sheet. Brush the cut side of the rolls with garlic butter. Spoon meatballs with sauce onto one side of the sub roll. Top with chopped fresh basil and shredded cheese.
  • Place the baking sheet on a rack about 6" from the oven broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasty, about 4- 5 minutes. Watch closely to avoid scorching the bread.
  • Place the bare roll side on top of the meatball side. Cut the subs in half in the middle to form two serving pieces.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 1221kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 73g, Fat: 86g, Saturated Fat: 33g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 39g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 333mg, Sodium: 2322mg, Potassium: 1537mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 1574IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 750mg, Iron: 14mg
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