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The Ultimate Meatball Sandwiches

September 25, 2024

If a comfort meal is what you’re craving, then let me introduce you to The Ultimate Meatball Sandwiches. These sandwiches come together with tender homemade meatballs, warm marinara sauce, melty provolone cheese, and a crisp, golden bread that holds it all together. They’re perfect for serving at your next game day celebration or any time that you’re craving a rich and hearty meal!

As a mom of two young boys, I am no stranger to the request for a comfort food dinner. I don’t know what it is about little boys especially, but they love all-things comfort food. Whether that’s mac n’ cheese, pizza, chicken wings, or meatballs, my boys love anything meaty and cheesy.

So, when my son Hunter requested his favorite meatballs for dinner last week, I decided to take them to the next level and turn them into hearty meatball sandwiches. These sandwiches are crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, and are loaded with tender meatballs, melted cheese, and warm marinara sauce. What could be better than that?

My boys absolutely DEVOURED these sandwiches – so much so, that they requested the leftovers for school the next day! While these are a bit messy to be eaten as lunch sandwiches, they are perfect for a warm and hearty family meal, a game day main course, or even a delicious Father’s Day dinner!

I love pairing these sandwiches with my Garlic Parmesan Crusted Potatoes for the perfect side dish! Or, serve it alongside a salad (like my Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad) for a healthier twist!

A top-view photo of ingredients for making meatball subs. It includes ground meat, tomato sauce, grated cheese, fresh basil, parsley, sliced provolone, breadcrumbs, two eggs, garlic cloves, black pepper, salt, an onion, and three sub rolls. — To make these sandwiches, you’ll need ground beef and pork, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, yellow onion, parsley, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, eggs, seasonings, marinara sauce, french rolls, provolone cheese, and fresh basil.

A large bowl filled with ground meat, raw eggs, chopped onions, minced herbs, grated cheese, and various spices ready to be mixed. Surrounding the bowl are fresh herbs, spice bowls, a cutting board with more chopped ingredients, and a broken egg shell. — To make these sandwiches, you’ll need ground beef and pork, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, yellow onion, parsley, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, eggs, seasonings, marinara sauce, french rolls, provolone cheese, and fresh basil.

What You Need to Make These Hearty Meatball Sandwiches

🥩 Ground Beef & Pork: The secret to making these meatballs is to use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. The two meats together add the best flavor, so be sure not to skip out on using both of them!
Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are essential to holding the meatballs together, and the best part is: you can use traditional gluten breadcrumbs or gluten-free! I recommend using Italian seasoned breadcrumbs for the best flavor. Or, you can simply add a tablespoon of Italian seasoning to your regular breadcrumbs to turn them into seasoned breadcrumbs!
🧅 Yellow Onion: You’ll need one yellow onion for these meatballs!
Parsley: Fresh parsley not only adds a pop of color to these meatballs, but also adds the best flavor. Don’t skip this!
🧄 Garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic here, for the best flavor
Parmigiano Reggiano: Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano truly adds the most delicious flavor to this pasta dish, WAY better than your pre-shredded parmesan cheese. If there’s one ingredient that’s worth the splurge, it’s this one!
🥚 Eggs: Eggs act as a binder to help hold the meatballs together. You will need 2 whole eggs for this recipe – unfortunately, they cannot be substituted.
Seasonings: To season these meatballs, you’ll need a combination of allspice, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Yum!
🍝 Marinara Sauce: Warm marinara sauce pairs wonderfully with the meatballs. I recommend using Rao’s!
French Rolls: While french rolls are a classic for meatballs sandwiches, you can use any type of bread roll that you’d like.
🧀 Provolone Cheese: Melted provolone cheese adds a delicious, cheesy flavor to these meatball sandwiches.
Fresh Basil: A sprinkle of fresh basil adds the perfect finishing touch to these sandwiches!

A pot filled with raw meatballs in tomato sauce, surrounded by ingredients including ground meat in a bowl, sandwich rolls, tomato sauce in a jar with a brush, sliced cheese, black pepper, and chopped herbs on a cutting board. A pair of tongs rests on the ground meat. — Roll the meatballs then line them up on a baking sheet. Warm the marinara sauce on the stove, then, once the sauce is simmering, add the meatballs to the pan and place the cover on top. Allow the meatballs to cook, undisturbed, for 25 minutes.

How to Make These Hearty & Delicious Meatball Sandwiches

To make these sandwiches, start by preparing the meatballs. Add all of the meatball ingredients to a large bowl (the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, yellow onion, parsley, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, eggs, allspice, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a bowl and use your hands to mix them together until they’re fully combined.

Next, divide the mixture into 16 meatballs and roll them until they’re perfectly round. Line them up on a baking sheet, then repeat until all of the meatballs have been formed. Heat a large skillet, on the stove, over medium-high heat, and pour in the marinara sauce. Once the sauce reaches a simmer, add the meatballs to the pan and place the cover on top. Allow the meatballs to cook, undisturbed, for 25 minutes.

Once the 25 minutes are up, remove the cover and stir to coat all of the meatballs in the sauce. Remove them from the heat, and allow them to sit while you prepare the rest of the sandwiches. Next, preheat your oven to 350 F. Cut open the french rolls in half, being careful not to break them or cut them all the way through. You should create a nice, deep pocket in the rolls.

A baking tray holds four meatball subs, each with meatballs in marinara sauce topped with slices of provolone cheese. A pot of meatballs in marinara sauce sits nearby with a spoon inside. A plate of cheese slices and fresh basil leaves are in the top left corner. — Prepare the sandwiches by slicing the bread rolls in half, being careful not to cut all the way through. Add 3 meatballs to each roll and spoon some of the marinara sauce on top, and add a slice of provolone cheese.

A tray of freshly baked meatball subs topped with melted mozzarella cheese and garnished with fresh basil leaves. The sandwiches are placed on parchment paper, with basil leaves scattered around the tray. A plate with a similar sub is seen in the foreground. — Prepare the sandwiches by slicing the bread rolls in half, being careful not to cut all the way through. Add 3 meatballs to each roll and spoon some of the marinara sauce on top, and add a slice of provolone cheese.

Next, add 3 meatballs to each roll and spoon some of the marinara sauce on top. Then, add a slice of provolone to the top of the meatballs. Brush the sides of the rolls with some melted butter or olive oil. Repeat the above steps until all of the rolls have been formed!

Then, transfer the rolls into the oven and allow them to bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted and the bread has lightly browned. You can turn on the broiler for 1 minute at the end, to get the bread nice and crispy, but be sure to watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn. Once the sandwiches are done, remove them from the oven. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.

** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim

Nut Free/Refined Sugar Free