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5 /5

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

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By: Danielle2 Comments Posted: 04/01/2021 Updated: 03/25/2024

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Meatball Sub Sandwiches are an easy classic everyone will love! Starring homemade meatballs on garlic buttered hoagie rolls with marinara and melty mozzarella. Easy to serve one or a crowd with air fryer and oven instructions!

meatball sub sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese.

Can’t give you a delicious meatball recipe without sharing the single best use of meatballs (in my opinion!). These Meatball Sub Sandwiches are a cheesy, messy, toasty classic that’s not complicated at all!ย 

If you’ve got your meatballs already in the freezer, this dinner takes less than 30 minutes to put together. If you like meatballs and pasta, you’ll LOVE a good meatball sub sandwich.

Why are they called ‘sub’ sandwiches?

The ‘sub’ in sub sandwich is short for submarine! Several sources including What’s Cooking America say that the name submarine sandwich was first used by Italian immigrants in 1910. Later, submarine sandwiches became popular in Connecticut during World War II, when soldiers ate these sandwiches by a submarine base. 

Sub sandwiches are similar to Grinders, Po’Boy, Hero, and Italian Sandwiches, but generally the ingredients and name origin differ between each kind of sandwich.

Recipe Overview

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty:ย Easy
Method: Air Fryer
Prep: Freezer-Friendly

What do you put on a Meatball Sub Sandwich?

Meatball Sub Sandwiches are incredibly simple to make, and even easier if you already have ready-to-cook meatballs on hand. Here’s what goes in my meatball sub sandwich:

  • hoagie rolls – For the bread, I recommend using hoagie rolls. I tried this recipe with hotdog buns. Honestly, they were just too measly to hold on to the saucy meatballs, and they got soggy real quick. So in my opinion, it’s worth it to get hoagie rolls.
  • meatballs! – Let’s talk meatballs. For this recipe, I’m using my Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatball recipe, but you can use any meatballs you have in the freezer, or you own meatball recipe. This main dish recipe goes WAY quicker if you already have premade meatballs on hand that you can just toss in the oven or air fryer. 
  • marinara sauce – I always have jarred marinara sauce from Costco on hand, so that’s what I used here. Super versatile and delicious.
  • mozzarella cheese – This recipe tastes wonderful with either fresh or shredded mozzarella. However, the fresh mozzarella takes a bit longer to melt, so you risk burning the bread a little. For the quickest, easiest way, use shredded mozzarella.
  • butter – After some testing, I’ve determined that these meatball sub sandwiches are WAY better with a butter & garlic toasted bun. It makes the meal smell better, adds another flavor, and really gives it a restaurant feel. 
  • garlic powder – I just used a sprinkle of garlic powder, probably less than 1/8 of a teaspoon, but it makes the kitchen smell like garlic bread, and it tastes SO good.
meatballs freshly cooked in an air fryer.
buttered hoagie roll on aluminum foil before toasting.
adding meatballs to the hoagie roll with tongs.

What kind of bread should you use for Meatball Sub Sandwiches?

For this recipe, I recommend using hoagie rolls. You can also use hearty French bread, however I have not tested this. 

I do not recommend using hotdog buns, unless it’s all you’ve got. They’re much smaller and less hearty that hoagie rolls, so they don’t do as good of a job holding the meatballs in the bread. I also found the hotdog buns got soggy quicker than hoagie rolls.

What kind of cheese do you put on the Meatball Sub Sandwiches?

Here are some cheese ideas along with pros and cons I discovered during testing:

  • shredded mozzarella cheese – easiest cheese to use for this recipe, melts at a good pace.
  • fresh mozzarella cheese – deliciously cheesy to use, but takes longer to melt and risks burnt bread. Be careful with this one!
  • sliced provolone – haven’t tried but I bet this would be good too if provolone is your jam.

More cheesy recipes

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Flautas

Sausage and Pepper Personal Pizzas

Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Bake

All dinner recipes

What should you serve with meatball sub sandwiches?

These meatball sub sandwiches are a pretty hefty main dish, so I’d recommend keeping the sides meat and cheese free. Sometimes eating one of these sandwiches alone is a big enough meal for me! 

Here are some food pairing ideas to go with these Meatball Sub Sandwiches:

  • A large veg heavy side salad
  • Air Fryer Jojo Potato Wedges
  • Make-Ahead Quinoa Party Salad
  • fresh veggies and hummus
spooning sauce onto the meatballs in the sandwich.
assembled meatball sub sandwiches about to go into the oven.

Can you make meatball sub sandwiches with frozen meatballs?

Yes! This is my favorite method and the quickest way to get dinner ready! Save time by using pre-formed, frozen meatballs, instead of making them on the same day as you want the meatball sub sandwiches.

The best way to meal prep this recipe is to keep a batch of formed meatballs in the freezer. Then, grab exactly as many as you need depending on how many meatball sub sandwiches you want to make. Each sandwich should fit 4 meatballs, 5 meatballs if they’re a little smaller.

What are the best meatballs for a meatball sub sandwich?

This is probably going to come down to opinion, but here are a couple things I want in my meatballs if they’re going on a meatball sub sandwich:

  • I prefer larger meatballs for the sandwich. The smaller the meatballs, the more you have to put on the sandwich. And then the more meatballs there are to fall out of your sandwich ๐Ÿ™
  • I’m a little biased but I prefer to use my meatballs for these sandwiches! I’ve included the recipe for my Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs in the recipe card, but if you visit the recipe page, there’s more photos and helpful meatball info!
  • I prefer to top the meatballs with spoonfuls of sauce, rather than use saucy stove-top meatballs. I think this helps reduce sogginess! And I just like to cook my meatballs in the air fryer – easier and less sauce goes everywhere while simmering.
meatball sub sandwiches freshly broiled ready to eat.
meatball sub sandwich with fresh mozzarella in hand.

Tips for the Best Meatball Sub Sandwiches:

I’m not a meatball sub sandwich expert, but I have made these sandwiches several times in the last couple weeks and here are my tips:

  • Shredded mozzarella is easier to use and melts faster so there’s no chance of bread burning. If you love fresh mozz, just be sure to watch the bread closely so it doesn’t burn. If necessary, cover bread with strips of aluminum foil and leave the cheese exposed to melt and brown.
  • If I want to make just 1 or 2 sandwiches, I use the air fryer, because it’s quicker and gives a more even golden brown. If I wanted to make more at one time, I would use the oven method because my air fryer can’t fit more than 2 sandwiches.
  • Keeping a batch of Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs in the freezer reduces the time it takes to get this meal on the table during the week!
  • Make only as many as you need – these sandwiches don’t hold up in the fridge well.
meatball sub sandwich with melty mozzarella cheese.

How to store Meatball Sub Sandwiches:

I do not recommend storing/reheating these sandwiches, as the bread will get very soggy and it will lose the texture.ย 

How to freeze leftover meatballs:

To freeze extra meatballs, flash freeze raw meatballs on a sheet pan for 4 hours to overnight, then transfer to a freezer safe container, such as a Stasher 1/2 Gallon Storage Bag (affiliate link!). Use within 3-4 months for best quality. See detailed photos and more info on the recipe page for Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs.

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Recipe
meatball sub sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Yield: 2 sandwiches 1x
Print Save Rate it
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 1 hour 10 minutes

Meatball Sub Sandwiches are an easy classic everyone will love! Starring homemade meatballs on garlic buttered hoagie rolls with marinara and melty mozzarella. Easy to serve one or a crowd with air fryer and oven instructions!

Units:
Scale:

Ingredients

For the Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs (makes ~32 meatballs):

  • 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup traditional basil pesto
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For the meatball sub sandwiches (2 sandwiches):

  • 8 meatballs, cooked
  • 2 hoagie bun rolls
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Recipe notes: Use your favorite frozen meatballs and cook according to package or recipe directions, or make homemade meatballs. To make homemade meatballs, follow detailed cooking instructions on the recipe page Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs, or simplified cooking instructions as follows in Step 2.
  2. Make meatballs: Preheat the oven to 375F. Add all meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands (or gloves), combine everything together until just mixed. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Use a cookie scoop to form the meatballs and place directly on the sheet pan, about one inch apart. Place fresh meatballs into the oven and cook for 20-23 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.
  3. Toast the hoagie rolls: Slice hoagie rollsย (2) if not already cut, taking care to not cut all the way through. Mix melted butterย (1 tablespoon) with a pinch of garlic powder. Brush melted butter mixture inside and on the edges of the hoagie rolls, and then place the rolls on a broiler-safe dish (sheet pan or casserole dish). Place the rolls under the broiler and lightly toast for about 2 minutes – watch closely! Remove rolls from the oven.
  4. Assemble and cook:ย Place 4 cooked meatballs into each toasted hoagie roll. Next, add a spoonful of sauce on top of each meatball (I like to go lighter on sauce to avoid sogginess, then use it for dipping later if needed). Place about 1/4 cup fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese on top of each sandwich. Place under the broiler for 3-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning.
    • Air fryer instructions (max 2 sandwiches): Follow step 3 to butter the rolls, but instead place the hoagies on a piece of aluminum foil in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400F for 2-3 minutes until beginning to golden. Next, assemble the rest of the sandwiches – add 4 meatballs, 1 spoonful of sauce over each meatball, and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Air fry at 400F for 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted and sandwich is golden brown.
  5. Serve & store:ย Serve immediately with additional marinara sauce for dipping. These sandwiches don’t store well in the refrigerator or freezer, so I recommend only cooking as many as you need. Freeze remaining meatballs for quicker meatball subs in the future.

Equipment

oxo 9 inch tongs with silicone ends.

OXO 9-Inch Silicone Head Tongs

Buy Now โ†’
black cosori air fryer.

Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer

Buy Now โ†’

(affiliate link!)

Notes

Cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts quickly and broils at the same pace as the bread browns. Fresh mozzarella takes longer to melt and could end up burning the hoagie roll, depending on your broiler. If you notice the bread burning, quickly cover it with strips of aluminum foil, leaving the fresh mozzarella exposed to melt and brown. It is easier to use shredded mozzarella, but I like fresh better! You can also use provolone, or another cheese you prefer.

Meatballs: Keeping some frozen meatballs on hand makes this recipe go much quicker. See the full length cooking and freezing instructions on the recipe page for Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs.

Scaling: Double or triple this recipe to make 4 or 6 meatball sub sandwiches! If you’d like to double or triple the meatballs recipe, please visit the recipe post for Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs to get more detailed information.

Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal and will vary depending on your ingredient brands and specific amounts used.

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: 1 sub sandwich
  • Calories: 590
  • Fat: 20g
  • Carbohydrates: 47g
  • Protein: 54g
© Author: Danielle
Cuisine: Italian-inspired Method: Baked
meatball sub sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese.

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About Danielle

Hi, Iโ€™m Danielle! I'm a PNW gal on a mission to help you reduce food waste, and save both time and money with meal planning and make-ahead recipe ideas! I've got weekly meal plan templates and recipes waiting for you!

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  1. Troy Johnson says

    Posted on 8/6/25 at 8:47 pm

    Like I said before I love meatball sandwiches they’re my favorite recipe I like to put a lot of extra stuff on there too like green olives onions sometimes jalapenos but the best is serrano peppers if you like it hot which I do I look forward to looking over some of your recipes and I like your food presentation ideas and recipes please email me back have you ever done copycat meals like from restaurants I used to like to do that just to see if I can make it the way they did it

    Reply
    • Danielle says

      Posted on 8/7/25 at 10:50 am

      Hi Troy – So glad you like the meatball sandwiches! All of your topping ideas sound delicious. I don’t usually do copycat recipes, but there are plenty of others to try! Thank you for your comment! -Danielle

      Reply

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