It's summer. It's 90 degrees. The kids have been in the pool for hours, and the last thing you want to do is head home and spend an hour in the kitchen. I've been there-and I know I'm not the only one. On those hot, exhausting days when everyone's hungry and no one has the energy to cook, that's exactly when you need this Easy Meatball Sub recipe.
This isn't a fancy, from-scratch dinner. It's a real-life solution that's quick and satisfying. I'm giving you full permission to use frozen meatballs and jarred marinara (perfect excuse to grab that half-empty jar from the fridge) to make a delicious dinner without the fuss. Add a few spices, melt the cheese, and pile it all onto buns. These Meatball Subs are flexible, foolproof, and 100% approved by tired parents and hungry kids everywhere.
Jump to:
What does a meatball sub contain?
- Frozen Meatballs – Yep! I give you total permission to make an incredible dinner with frozen meatballs. Not everything has to be homemade to be delicious. Pick your family's favorite frozen meatball and get this dinner started.
- Buns – Since this is a pretty hearty sandwich I would opt for a hoagie bun instead of a hot dog bun. it is going to hold up to the sauce, cheese, and big meatballs best.
- Cheese – Choose a melty cheese that will go well with Italian flavors. Provolone, mozzarella or even Monterey jack will work great.
- Marinara Sauce – You can use store bought marinara or pizza sauce here! I'm guessing you have a jar of marinara sauce in your pantry right now… use that! Nothing special, just use that one that you like the flavor of best.
- Seasonings – A mix of garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes makes the toasted bun/roll even tastier!
What Meatballs to Use in a Meatball Sub
So, again, super flexible with the meatballs in this “recipe”. It just calls for store-bought frozen meatballs, just like this Instant Pot Spaghetti with Frozen Meatballs. You can use turkey, chicken, sausage, or beef meatballs. Whatever your family likes!
If you are a fan of Costco like we are, then you should definitely check out these Italian Beef Meatballs. They are our favorite:
These are the meatballs that I choose to use in my Easy Meatball Subs. They are seasoned to perfection and have an almost grilled flavor in the background.
But if you really want to make your own meatballs, these are delicious, easy and quick recipes for Instant Pot Italian Meatballs and Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs. Or you can check out these Baked Italian Meatballs or Chicken Meatballs.
Meatball Sub Recipe Variations
As you have read previously, this recipe is super flexible! There are lots of ways you can customize Easy Meatball Subs to suit your family:
- Make it vegetarian by using veggie meatballs.
- Try using turkey, chicken or sausage meatballs.
- Use whatever cheese you have in the house. Mozzarella, Provolone, Gouda, or Monterey Jack would all work perfectly!
- Kick up the heat by adding a lot of red pepper flakes.
- Use whatever marinara sauce your family loves.
- Try adding a little pesto for a basil heavy flavor.
- If you have fresh basil in your fridge or on the back patio, give it a quick chop and sprinkle it on the sub.
What to Serve with Meatballs Subs
This is a great casual dinner that comes together quickly. So plan on side dishes that also come together quickly with very little effort. Some of my favorites are frozen green beans popped in the oven with a little extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, a big store-bought caesar salad, or pan sauteed zucchini with garlic and parmesan.
If you need it to be really easy, open a bag of kettle chips and grab some baby carrots out of the fridge. #reallife
Dinner Recipes
If you like this recipe, here are some other easy dinner recipes on Mom’s Dinner:
- Barbecue Chicken in Parchment with Sweet Potatoes & Peppers
- 2 Minute Honey Mustard Sauce
- Barbecue Chicken Pizza
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
Share the Love
If you made this recipe let me know how it turned out! Comment below, drop me a line, rate the recipe, or share it on social media. The buttons at the top of the page make it super easy to share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.
I hope you give this “recipe” for Easy Meatball Subs a try in your kitchen.
Love- Susie
More meatball Recipes
Meatball Subs (with store bought meatballs)
Ingredients
- 16 store bought frozen meatballs - I like Costco’s Italian Beef Meatballs
- 4 hoagie rolls - or hot dog buns if that is what you have
- ½ cup marinara sauce, divided
- 1 cup mozzarella or provolone cheese, divided
- grated parmesan cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bake your meatballs according to package instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Open the hoagie buns and lay facing up on a sheet pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and generously sprinkle on the garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Red pepper flakes are optional if you like a little heat.Place in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes to get a good crisp on the bread.
- Place 1 tablespoon of marinara on the bottom bun of each hoagie. Optional- sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Top with 4 meatballs.Top the meatballs with 1 tablespoon of marinara.Top it off with ¼ cup cheese.
- Place the hoagies back in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Lisa says
Just the kind of easy and yummy recipe I need after working all day! Thanks so much and I’m following for more great recipes ❤️
Susie Weinrich says
Wonderful!! Thank you!!
Gail says
They look fabulous. I am surprising my fiancé with something different. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry while he was at his dental appointment, I burnt the bun. Hopefully, I made up for it with extra marinara sauce and cheese. Me, I love burnt bread 😅. He works the overnight shift, so I won’t know until later. Wish me luck. Either way, I’ll be making this again! Thanks 😁
Theresa says
Very good subs.
Toni says
These were a HUGE hit with my husband and grandson! So quick and easy to make, thank you so much for sharing!
Marsha says
These were superb! The exact recipe I needed to use my left over crockpot meatballs in spaghetti sauce. Thank you! Sooooo easy sooooo delicious – give it a try it won’t disappoint.
K says
WOW so good! Easy week night meals that are fast and don’t require standing for a long time at the stove are the best for summer. We are having a major heat wave and have no AC in there and it gets up to 28C/82F INSIDE the kitchen!! This was so fast but creative.
My son loves meatball subs from Subway but I have to admit I’m a little nervous sometimes as I wonder how long they are left sitting out. I don’t know why I never thought to make them before, but so glad I found this. The only thing I did differently is I baked my meatballs, then heated some sauce on the stove and let the meatballs simmer in it briefly while the bread was toasting in the oven. Adding some herbs to the bread makes such a big difference. So so good! 🙂 I love that you can also customize this for preferences like add olives or anything else you want to make the whole family happy.
Linda says
I used home made frozen Turkey meatballs and leftover pasta sauce with veggies. Easy and good,
Michelle Weber says
can you make these ahead of time and freeze, if so, how do you warm them back up?
Susie Weinrich says
I have not tested these in the freezer. I would be afraid the bread would get really soggy from the marinara.
Linda Kinnaird says
Place frozen meatballs in crockpot with a jar of sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours and then proceed with remaining recipe. End result is super tender meatballs! Easy and delish!!!
Misty says
Even if the meatballs are fully cooked frozen…still need to cook on low for 6 hours?
Susie Weinrich says
I would think if they are fully cooked you could lessen the time to 2-3 hours.
Susie Weinrich says
Or if you have an instant pot… maybe a 5 minute cook time.
MacKenzie R Grinnell says
This is an amazing recipe! Perfection! Never thought frozen meatballs would taste so good! We added pepperoni on them and it really set it off!
April says
My daughter is a picky eater and she loves these. These are also great on Hawaiian subs.
Beverly says
meatballs from Costco can be serve over rice – make’s delicious dinner
Susie says
Great idea!!
Anna says
My family loves meatball subs! It’s such a great idea or a quick summer dinner, especially since I can use store-bought meatballs. I think I need to make these soon!
Susie says
Definitely! It is a super easy dinner to make!
Leslie says
Totally agree that sometimes the last thing you want to do is spend an hour cooking when you’ve been in the heat with the kids all day! My son loves meatballs and he likes sandwiches so I don’t know why I haven’t made meatball subs! Thanks for the idea!
Susie says
Great! I hope the kiddos love them!
Donna says
Oh my gosh we are so there. The heat has hit here and we have been spending long afternoons at the pool everyday, but the time we get home I have to put cheese and crackers on the table to tide everyone over until dinner. Sounds like this would be just as quick and more delicious!
Susie says
Yes- it is SOOO fast! Definitely give them a try next time you are wiped out from a long day at the pool