These oven baked Easy Meatball Subs are meaty, cheesy and SO flavourful! Perfect for dinner any night of the week, and great for parties too.

If you’re looking for a quick and simple meal that everyone will love, these Easy Meatball Subs are it! You just can’t go wrong with saucy meatballs in a ooey gooey cheesy bun. Winner winner meatball sub dinner.

an open faced meatball sub with meatballs, shredded cheese, bocconcini cheese and basil leaves

A Simple + Delicious Dinner Idea!

This is one of those meals that my kids always look forward to! You just can’t go wrong with saucy, meaty subs, loaded with 3 kinds of cheese. I also love this dinner because it’s quick to bring together if I need…I keep a bag of frozen cooked meatballs, buns and jars of pasta sauce around for this very recipe.

a top down view of a meatball sub, and small bowls of ingredients

Great for a crowd!

The recipe for these meatball subs can also be easily doubled or tripled, making them perfect for a larger crowd or party (especially game day parties!)! Serve everything buffet style and keep the cooked meatballs and sauce warm in a crockpot and let everyone help themselves.

Putting Together Meatball Subs

I like to serve meatball subs buffet style. I lay out all of the prepared ingredients: shredded cheese, sliced bocconcini, a bowl of parmesan, sliced buns and a pot full of hot meatballs and sauce. Then I let everyone put together their own sub in just the way they like it. Once everyone has made their sandwich, I lay them out on a baking sheet and bake them all together. Then once the subs are toasty and cheesy, we add fresh basil leaves to them. Delicious.

About the Ingredients

MEATBALLS: You can use homemade or store bought meatballs for these subs. Pre-made cooked meatballs bought at the grocery store are a great time saver! Of if you prefer homemade meatballs, these Italian Meatballs are DELICIOUS in these subs…just make them smaller for sandwiches.
- I like to use pre-made cooked meatballs and I heat them up right in the sauce.
- If you’re using frozen store bought uncooked meatballs, prepare them as directed on the package, then simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes.
- If you’re using frozen homemade uncooked meatballs, bake them in the oven from frozen for about 20 minutes, then simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes.
PASTA SAUCE: When I make these subs I like to use a 650 mL pre-made jar of spaghetti sauce because it’s easy and delicious (marinara sauce, 3 cheese sauce or basil pesto sauce are so good). But again, feel free to use your favourite homemade pasta sauce.
BUNS: Any type of long, sturdy bun like submarine buns or hoagie buns work great for these. We’ve used hotdog buns too but they’re a little too soft and get soggy fast.
BASIL: Don’t forget to add fresh basil after you’re baked your sub! It add so much delicious flavour.
CHEESE: These subs have shredded mozzarella, sliced bocconcini and Parmesan cheese. You can also use provolone cheese if you like.

a top down view of small bowls of ingredients to make meatball subs

Tips & Tricks

Let everyone make their own sub! Interactive dinners are the best! Lay out all of the prepared ingredients and have everyone put together a sub in just the way they like it. Then lay the dressed buns out on a baking sheet and bake them together.
Basil tip! Add the basil AFTER the subs have baked, so it’s fresh!
Bun tip! Don’t slice the buns all the way through, you want to create a pocket for the meatballs.
Want your subs extra saucy? Consider using more sauce…this recipe calls for about 2 1/2 cups, but you can always use more.
Great for a crowd! The recipe for these meatball subs can easily be doubled or tripled, making them perfect for a larger gathering! You can keep the meatballs and sauce warm in a crockpot and serve them like that.
Serve with a simple green salad.
Flavour option! If you love garlic, consider making a simple garlic butter and brushing the buns with it before adding the meatballs! YUM!