Easy Meatballs Subs in Oven

Easy Meatballs Subs in Oven are simple to put together for a comfort food, weeknight dinner the whole family will devour. Makes 4 subs.

Meatball submarines or heroes (or grinders as they’re called here in the Philly area,) can be one of the best Italian sandwiches (Italian Sausage Peppers and Onions Sandwiches are excellent too) you’ll ever eat if made with good-quality ingredients, one of which is excellent, meatballs! Obviously, you NEED excellent meatballs!

EVERYONE needs a good meatballs recipe and have I got a tasty meatball and tomato sauce recipe for you to use to make on your stovetop with no extra step of baking them first. Over the years, I’ve been asked so many times for my meatball recipe, I could never remember how many times. I took them to work and people were amazed. 

They don’t taste like the processed ones you get at the grocery store or sadly even at Italian festivals! I was so disappointed once, that I’ll never order them out again.

Check out my Easy Authentic Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich Recipe too.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same. 

Also, you need good bread rolls and high-quality provolone cheese. You MUST have good bread rolls. Just to put in my husband’s two cents, “You have to use provolone cheese, not mozzarella.” But, I’m not going to tell you that. It’s your dinner and make it how you like it. FREEDOM is what America is all about. LOL!

You’re family is going to LOVE this for dinner. I’ve also included some side dish suggestions below before the recipe card.

Easy Meatballs Subs in Oven

As I’ve mentioned above, the quality and type of bread you use for this recipe makes a big difference. Use good-tasting bread rolls.

I use Amoroso’s Italian Bread Rolls, which you can get on Amazon. They aren’t available for purchase everywhere in the U.S. so, I’m glad they’re available on Amazon for you.

They’re great for cheesesteaks too so, you can freeze a bag or two of these good rolls for another time.

I made my Italian Sausage Meatballs and Tomato Sauce recipe to make this but, you can use whatever meatballs you like. The instructions for this recipe uses warmed meatballs and sauce but, I’ve included how to make it with cold (from the refrigerator) and frozen meatballs too.

First, preheat your oven to 400F.

Then, warm your meatballs and sauce on the stove in a sauce pan until they’ll fully hot and steaming (about 10-15 minutes.) I firmly believe meatballs need to cook in tomato sauce for them to absorb the tomato flavor. 

Place the warmed meatballs into each roll and top with some warmed sauce. 

Then, place three pieces of provolone cheese on the top of each sandwich- one at the top, one at the bottom and the third one in the middle as shown below. Feel free to add more cheese if you wish. Again, it’s your dinner preference.

Next, bake uncovered at 400F for 10 minutes. 

When they begin to brown on top, they’re ready to come out. You can drizzle some more tomato sauce if you wish.

Don’t they look yummy? They’re definitely ready to devour!

Frozen Meatballs

If using frozen meatballs, thaw them first in the refrigerator or microwave according to package directions and follow the instructions below for using cold meatballs.

Cold Meatballs and Sauce

If using cold meatballs and sauce, bake them at 400F without the cheese, covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes and then add the cheese and bake them uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

How do you keep meatball subs from getting soggy?

Don’t microwave them. You should reheat meatballs subs in the oven or air fryer to keep the bread toasty.

To reheat four meatball subs in the oven in a baking dish, reheat them at 400F, covered in aluminum foil for 15 minutes and then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.

If you’re reheating one meatball sub, place it in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 370F. See my air fryer recipes.

What can I make as a side for meatball subs?

Air fryer roasted potatoes such as Garlic Parmesan Potatoes or  Parmesan Rosemary Roasted Potatoes would be delicious side dishes.

Creamy Dill Red Skin Potato Salad or Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad would be good sides too. But, if you want a low-carb side dish, a nice tomato and cucumber salad would be tasty. 

Of course, chips  work well too. 

You may also like:

Authentic Italian Meatballs and Tomato Sauce + VIDEO

Italian Sausage Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Italian Sausage Peppers and Onions Sandwiches

Easy Authentic Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich Recipe

See more ITALIAN RECIPES.

I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.