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Everyone loves this classic sandwich, but I guarantee you my Meatball Sub Recipe will be your new favorite! Baked with juicy homemade meatballs in a delicious meatball sauce and bubbly cheese on top, this is the best hot sub sandwich ever. You can use frozen meatballs, too!

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Best Meatball Sandwich Recipe
Whenever I make homemade meatballs, I always make a big batch to use for meals all week long. My family's favorite is by far this baked meatball marinara sub.
It just doesn't get any better than juicy meatballs in a submarine bun topped with meatball sauce and bubbly cheese. The bread is nice and soft and the cheese is browned for a perfect meatball hero!
This recipe is so delicious. It is now on our weekly rotation. I love using your recipe for Instant Pot meatballs and making a double batch to freeze to use for meatballs subs. Thanks for sharing!
Karen on Pinterest

Meatball Sub Sauce
You can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for this recipe, but my personal recommendation is this Meatball Sauce Recipe. It is packed with so much flavor from Italian seasonings, sausage, and pork bites.
Pour this over top of your baked meatball subs, and you will be blown away by how much it elevates the flavor of the whole sandwich.

Meatball Sub Sandwich FAQs
A submarine bun is perfect for these sandwiches. I use deli hoagie rolls. If you have everything you need but the bread, hotdog buns work, too. The secret is to always brush the bread with garlic butter sauce.
My favorite two kinds of cheese to use are mozzarella and parmesan. Provolone or white cheddar is also a good choice.

Meatball Sandwich Recipe Ingredients
- meatballs
- meatball sauce
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated Parmesan cheese
- garlic butter sauce
- deli roll
- parsley to taste
How to Make Meatball Subs
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut deli rolls in half and spread garlic butter evenly on the inside of each half.
- Place meatballs in the roll and top with meatball sauce.
- Sprinkle with plenty of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Wrap sandwich with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Open the foil in the last 5 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top of the sandwich.
- Serve with more grated cheese and parsley (optional). Enjoy!
Meatball Sub Recipe Tips
- Don't forget to use the garlic butter recipe on the bread. Trust me, it is just amazing!
- Use your favorite meatball recipe or frozen meatballs for the best sandwich.
- Wrap your sandwiches in tin foil to keep the bread soft while they bake. You want the bread to stay soft and the cheese to melt perfectly first. This is a key step to amazing meatball sandwiches.
- In the last 5 minutes of the bake time, open the aluminum foil at the top to brown the cheese.
Best Meatball Recipes
- Juicy Air Fryer Meatballs Recipe
- Best Instant Pot Meatballs Recipe
- Honey Sriracha Meatballs
- Italian Wedding Soup

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📋 Recipe
Best Meatball Sub Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 3 large meatballs
- 4 tablespoons meatball sauce
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp. garlic butter sauce to brush on the inside of the roll
- 1 deli roll
- parsley to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut deli rolls in half and spread garlic butter evenly on the inside of each half.
- Place meatballs in the roll and top with meatball sauce.
- Sprinkle with plenty of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Wrap sandwich with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Open the foil in the last 5 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top of the sandwich.
- Serve with more grated cheese and parsley (optional). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Wrap your sandwiches in tin foil to keep the bread soft while they bake.
- In the last 5 minutes of the bake time, open the aluminum foil at the top to brown the cheese.
- Make sure to brush the buns with garlic butter. This is an amazing touch!
Frost Christine says
Was anxious to try this recipe (instead of just putting hot meatballs and sauce on a roll). Great idea but we lost all the cheese sticking to the foil ( even though I tried to “tent” the foil) We had to re-cheese and put back in oven. Any suggestions? Many thanks!