Meatball Sub

Are you ready for some delicious meatballs, you can add them to pasta, serve them as an appetizer, or make a fantastic meatball sub with them. This simple recipe will have you feeding your craving in no time!

Meatball subs are comforting to me in many ways. They bring back memories for me the minute I hear meatball sub.

These meatballs can be cooked in a skillet, cooked in tomato sauce, or baked in the oven. 

Food memories are so powerful, that it could be the name of a recipe that sparks the memory, but often it’s the smell, the smell of something that triggers a memory is undeniable. We all have them, right? From glue as a kid, to paint or clay/playdoh to a fresh fruit you may have picked and eaten a moment later. The aroma of your favorite item being cooked in the kitchen and don’t even get me started on baking… Just turn on the oven and pop in a tray of chocolate chip cookies and you’ve got me hooked. Some food memories are so vivid you can practically taste them!

This is one of mine: (scroll down if you’re not here for a story, but you will miss a really good laugh)

It had been raining for days and to get out of the house for a while my mom made meatballs in sauce and put them in her yellow Pyrex bowl, (the one lots of moms had in the 70’s) covered it with foil, and piled everything we needed for dinner into the trunk of her car. Along with the meatballs, there were sub rolls, mozzarella cheese, cloth napkins, and paper towels so we didn’t make a mess, and drinks too. 

When my dad came home from work, which was typically 5 o’clock. everything was ready, he went and changed his clothes and then we piled into the car and headed down the shore to watch the boats go in and out of the Manasquan Inlet.

The wind was blowing, it was raining, we were all hungry and couldn’t wait to eat. My mom and dad would each get an umbrella and go to the trunk and prepare everything just like short-order cooks. As me and my brother happily sat in the back of the car, not getting wet at all, we’d wind down our window as they handed us everything we needed.

We sat and ate, and watched the boats come in and out, the waves were rocking and the boats were bobbing up and down. It was dark, you could see the lights on the boats moving in the waves.

Then the real fun began…

My dad grabbed his umbrella and was going to throw some trash away in the garbage can in front of the car after we were finished eating. Now it was pouring rain, the wind picked up, the wind caught his umbrella and it flipped inside out. In seconds he was soaking wet. We were in the car watching and well…yes…laughing. My dad is a calm person and doesn’t get upset easily but I’ll tell you we will NEVER forget the look on his face. My mom said to us… ok, don’t laugh when he gets in the car…

We were preparing to hold in the laughter.

He was being blown by the wind, he tried to turn the umbrella the right way, but it flipped inside out again. We could not contain the laughter. In complete frustration, he walked back and shoved it into the garbage can.

Now he was making his way back to the car and we all got quiet, the rain was pummeling him, his face dripping wet, and his clothes completely drenched. We were all warm and dry in the car safe from the outside elements.

He made his way back into the car and I felt like we were all holding our breath.

He was fuming mad, We hid our faces in the cloth napkins so we didn’t have to look at each other. We didn’t want to upset him more. We could not hold it in any longer,  you could hear us breathing deeply trying not to laugh, and then we started laughing, he went on talking about how windy it was and that he was soaking wet and we just continued to laugh.

He wiped his face dry with his napkin, we were making noises and covering our faces again trying to quiet the laughter. He’d look in the back seat and we’d cover again.

Hoping the moment of frustration would pass, nope, we’d start laughing again.  At the moment he could not see the humor in it at all. We didn’t want to upset him any more than he already was but there we went again, hysterically laughing. Eventually, he laughed but we knew he was putting his frustration away for us. 

I’m blessed to have parents who would always put us first, forgive us quickly, and make us feel safe. 

I think about that day in particular often, when things do not go as planned. And no matter how hard you try you can’t avoid your emotions and feeling and sometimes you just have to let them out. And how my family is there for me when I need them most. 
I hope everyone has that. I really do. When times are tough, we all need people we can rely on.

I miss those days, days of everything seeming to be made better with laughter, but that is not always the case. But I do know that when I need some comfort I always think of a meatball sub! 

My dad always seems to provide calming advice in times of frustration and crisis. Things will work themselves out. He never said they’d be easy, it would work out the way I wanted, But his words were comforting. 

We continue to laugh about that story!

Now, let’s make some meatball subs!

You’ll need:

In a large bowl combine the ingredients.

Use a three tablespoon size scoop to portion out the meatballs and roll them smooth, so they don’t fall apart.

Rolling all the meatballs the same size will help them cook all at the same time and make for an even sandwich.

Cook meatballs on medium heat. If you try to hurry it and cook them on high they will get burned, trust me on this!

Alternatively, you can place them on a baking sheet and bake them at 375° until the internal temp is 160°.

Add the meatballs to the sauce.

Can I make the meatballs and freeze them?

Yes, this is a great way to have food ready in minutes, perfect for meal prep. The meatbaslls can be thawed in the microwave or placed in a pot wtih tomato sauce to slowly heat thouroughly.

Toast the rolls, then pile on the meatballs add extra sauce and cheese, and place the sandwiches open under the broiler if needed to help melt the cheese Add basil if desired, and enjoy!

I made this post in October of 2012. I grew up in New Jersey and saw photos of where we used to eat those meatball subs and…it was almost unrecognizable. Hurricane Sandy sure did a number on the Jersey Shore as well as other areas of the East Coast. 

Many, many memories I have revolve around the wonderful beaches and hangouts. From being a kid and swimming and playing in the arcades to walking on the boardwalk and falling in love with my husband. I’m sad, and my heart goes out to all the victims. I hope they are able to rebuild the shore, so many others will be able to have such fond memories.

We moved from NJ and now call California home. We miss the food and the places we used to visit. We liked going down the shore and walking on the boardwalk and the beach. We brought our kids a few times, and they really enjoyed it. In time I hope they are able to rebuild so more people can create those memories as well.

* Updated to add in January 2025 the wildfires have devasted the Los Angeles area and I hope those affected know my thoughts and prayers are with them at this most heartbreaking time.

It’s always fun visiting NJ, I wish it were more often. I really miss the food. The pizza, bagels, Italian bakeries, soft serve ice cream shops that roll the ice cream in sprinkles, the seafood and so much more.

The last 2 photos were taken 4 years apart, and my son was wearing the same shirt, how funny is that! It says  Peace, Love, French Fries, and New Jersey. It was a gift and he loved that shirt.

My daughter would sneak the shirt out of his closet once in a while after she outgrew her New Jersey Shirt. I think it gave them both comfort when we would visit and we’d show them where my husband and I were from, where they were born, and visit all our family and friends.

We no longer have the shirt, but we’ll always have the memories.

Holding onto our memories is comforting. 
When I’m feeling the need for comfort or togetherness, I usually just ask them all to help me make meatballs.

One year in particular, I felt them spreading their wings, and not being around as much and wanted to bring us all together. But everyone was so busy. I said ok this year for Christmas we’ll just get together and make meatballs, they thought it was a little silly. Really? They asked, I said yes, that is all I want for Christmas. So on Christmas at 2 pm we all met in the kitchen and had a great time. Really, sometimes It really is the simple things that give us comfort. Those memories are the ones I hold dear!

I have LOTS of meatball recipes with great flavor options!

And… so many more meatball recipe options with ground chicken or ground turkey as well.

And one of my most requested meals to make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Meatball Sub

comfort food at its best, meatballs, sauce and cheese on a nicely toated roll

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: beef, bread, cheese, meatball, sandwich

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef ground chicken is another great option
• 3 slices of bread or 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 2-4 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian Parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup grated Romano Cheese or Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups Marinara/tomato sauce I used homemade sauce a good substitute to my homemade sauce is Barilla Marinara Sauce
• 6 oz Mozzarella Cheese sliced or grated
• fresh basil if desired
• 4-6 12" Roll- soft rolls with a nice crust are my favorite I do not prefer overly thick "bready" rolls for meatball sandwiches.

Instructions

• In a large bowl add the ground beef, bread/breadcrumbs, egg, milk, parsley, garlic, Romano Cheese, salt and pepper.
• If you are using slices of bread, wet them, ring the excess water out and them add it to the mixture.
• Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.
• If you don't like getting your hands really messy, wear food service gloves or placing all the ingredients into your mixer and mix on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Using a large scoop (3 tablespoon) for the meat into meatballs and roll them in a circular motion until they are formed and holding together and smooth on the outside.
• Heat a cast iron skillet on medium.
• Add a tablespoon of oil.
• Place meatballs into the skillet, allow them to get lightly browned before moving them or they will fall a part. Heat meatballs until they are cooked and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
• You can also bake the meatballs on a baking sheet at 375° until internal temperature reaches 160°.
• In a saucepan heat the tomato sauce on medium heat and place meatballs into the sauce.
• Toast the sliced bread under the broiler for a couple minutes.
• *keep an eye on it, you don't want it to burn.
• Place meatballs on sub rolls, them add meatballs and add some extra sauce on top of each meatball, then top with mozzarella cheese. You can put them back under the broiler to melt the cheese if desired.

Notes

Garnish with Fresh Basil and grated Romano Cheese