Meatball Subs
A Family Favorite Dinner
You’ll love this hearty Meatball Sub made with homemade meatballs nestled in a delicious French roll. Each meatball is a savory blend of beef and spices, perfectly cooked and dripping with flavor.
The sauce is a medley of fresh tomatoes, onions, and peppers simmered to perfection, adding a burst of sweetness and tanginess. With every bite you experience a symphony of textures and tastes, from the softness of the bread to the juiciness of the meatballs.
Topped with mini fresh mozzarella balls and tangy banana peppers, it’s a satisfying feast for the senses that will leave you craving more.
Mr. Tipsy’s Favorite Meal
This dinner is one of Mr. Tipsy’s favorite dinners that I make. One of the great things about this meal is that you can make it and freeze it for future quick dinners.
You can even put the frozen meatballs and sauce in a slow cooker and let it warm back up low and slow all day when you are at work.
Need Help Finding and Saving The Recipe?
There is a full, printable recipe card at the end of this post.
You can also hit the print button for the recipe to come up on one screen. From there you can screenshot this to save it to your phone.
I also have added a Pinterest button that you can use to save this recipe to your Pinterest page. If you would like to follow me on Pinterest, you can find me there as The Tipsy Housewife.
Rest Your Balls
In the recipe steps, I explain to let your meatballs rest after you roll them. This is an important step that will help your meatballs stay together and not be as fragile when simmering in the sauce.
This step gives the ingredients time to bind together, making the meatballs more stable.
Browning The Meatballs
I brown the meatballs for this recipe before simmering them in the sauce. A good rule of thumb is that it will be time to turn the meatballs to brown on the other sides when they easily release from the pan.
If you are trying to turn your meatball and it is sticking, it is not ready to be turned.
All Stovetops Are Different
I do not get many complaints on my recipes, but when I do, it is usually a cook time issue. One of the things that you have to remember is that all stoves and ovens cook differently.
Cooking on a gas or electric stove makes a difference. It also matters how old your stove is and what pans you are using.
Cook times are a general suggestion based off MY stove. If you are cooking a recipe for the first time, ALWAYS pay close attention to the temperature and doneness and make note of how it cooked on your stove.
Checking Your Oven Temp
While you do not use your oven for this recipe, it feels like a good time to remind you that your oven should be checked for its true temperature. I wrote a post about this called Checking Your Oven’s Accuracy.
Many people are surprised what their oven is actually heating to when they get an oven thermometer.
I bet you’ll enjoy this sub almost as much as Mr. Tipsy does!
Meatball Subs
A hearty meatball sub, made with homemade meatballs nestled in a delicious French roll. Each meatball is a savory blend of beef and spices, perfectly cooked and dripping with flavor. The sauce is a medley of fresh tomatoes, onions, and peppers, simmered to perfection, adding a burst of sweetness and tanginess. With every bite, you experience a symphony of textures and tastes, from the softness of the bread to the juiciness of the meatballs. Topped with mini fresh mozzarella balls and tangy banana peppers. It's a satisfying feast for the senses, leaving you craving for more.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of Ground Beef, I use an 80/20 Mix
- 1 Sleeve of Crushed Up Saltine Crackers
- 2 Eggs, Room Temp
- 1 T of Salt
- 1 T of Pepper
- 1 T Garlic Powder
- 1 T Onion Powder
- 1 T of Dried Oregano
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Minced
- 2 Green Peppers, Rough Chopped
- 1 Red Pepper, Rough Chopped
- 1 Pint of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Rough Chopped
- 1 Jar of Your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
- 2 T of Sugar
- Fresh Oregano, If you have access
- French Bread Rolls for Sandwiches
- Toppings of Your Choice, We like Hot Pepper Rings
- Mini Fresh Mozzarella Balls
Instructions
- Mix your ground beef with the minced onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and the saltine crackers. Combine.
- Whisk the eggs and add into the meat mixture and combine well. Then form the balls. I make about 2 inch size balls.
- Set the meatballs out on a cookie sheet and let rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- In a deep skillet or stock pot add some oil or butter. Add the peppers, tomatoes and onions and cook until slightly soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, brown the meatballs on all sides. Turn them carefully. You will know they are ready to turn when they easily release from the pan.
- You will then need a large soup pot to finish cooking the meatballs and the sauce.
- Add the meatballs into the pot, then add the jar of sauce, one jar of water, the sugar and the fresh oregano if you have it.
- Bring it to a simmer, reduce heat to low and let simmer 90 minutes.
- Check to make sure your meatballs are cooked through at the 90 minute mark. If not simmer another 20 to 30. These may cook faster. All stovetops are different. Check them and make note the first time you make this recipe so you know for next time.
- Toast up your french bread, top with meatballs, sauce, peppers and onions, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. We like to add hot pepper rings.
Serving Suggestion For The Subs
If you are looking for a great side dish to these meatballs subs, I have the PERFECT recipe for you. My Caesar Salad is one of my most favorite recipes.
This will pair perfectly with these delicious meatball subs.
A second recipe is my Caesar Pasta Salad. You can leave out the chicken of you are making this pasta salad to serve with your subs.
2 Comments
Erika Young
May 15, 2024 at 8:04 pm
What french bread do you use? I am also in Chicago area.
thetipsyhousewife
May 15, 2024 at 8:54 pm
Turano