Garlic Bread Marinara Meatball Subs
The Ultimate Meatball Sub
These garlic bread meatball subs are my ultimate meatball subs. They’re so juicy from the homemade sauce, loaded with lots of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The meatballs are stuffed between two slices of super garlicky garlic bread and topped with herby pesto. I love this classic combination of flavors all under the roof of a slice of bread!
These sandwiches are a perfect weekend dinner with the family served with a big salad or cut into smaller servings for mini meatball subs. However you eat them, I’m sure you’ll absolutely love them!
Recipe Tips
When you make these meatball subs with parmesan cheese, homemade marinara, and pesto, here are a few tips to make them delicious:
- When making meatball sub marinara sauce, the best way to do it is to let it cook slowly so all of the flavors meld together. Don’t rush the first part when you’re cooking the onions and garlic. The softer the onions the more they’ll melt into the sauce!
- I’m sure you’ve noticed, some of the ingredients have ranges to them, such as the number of meatballs, baguettes, and butter. This is to give you some flexibility depending on how big your baguettes are and the size of the meatballs. Aim for the middle with each, unless you notice that one item is on the larger or smaller side - then adjust accordingly!
- When making marinara sauce, always opt for San Marzano tomatoes if they’re available. They’re the best quality tomatoes with an amazing flavor, and typically comparable in price to other tomatoes.
- With every recipe, there are certain ingredients where if you use higher quality ingredients, you’ll notice a difference in the end result. For these subs a homemade meatball will take you far and quality parmesan cheese has an amazingly salty flavor. A good olive oil will make the marinara taste unbelievable. For olive oil specifically, I genuinely love Graza brand. The flavor is superb and I love the squeeze bottle when cooking (use the code LAURALOVESTOCOOK for $5 off your first purchase).
Recipe Details
Make the Marinara Sauce
Before you can enjoy these garlic bread meatball subs, you’ll need to get started on the marinara for the meatballs. This marinara is a pretty classic recipe, starting with sweating chopped yellow onion in lots of olive oil. Once the onions are incredible soft, you’ll add some garlic and dried oregano to season the sauce.
Now that your aromatics are cooked, you’ll begin building out the tomato base. First to add intense tomato flavor you’ll add a small can of tomato paste to the pan. Stir it into the onions, letting it cook for a couple minutes until it darkens in color slightly then season with salt and pepper. Add a can of San Marzano tomatoes to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break them up into smaller pieces. The more you break the tomatoes up, the smoother the sauce will be. Let the tomato sauce simmer to let the ingredients meld together and then finish it off with some grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil and parsley. Add the italian-style meatballs to the sauce and keep them warm while you make the garlic bread.
Make the Garlic Bread
To make the garlic bread, slice the baguettes in half and spoon over some garlic butter onto the insides. The garlic butter is made with melted butter, lots of minced garlic, a bit of dried parsley, and a small pinch of salt. Toast the bread, butter side up, under the broiler until they’re toasty.
Assemble and Bake the Garlic Bread Meatball Subs
Now that all of your ingredients are made, you can begin the assembly! Arrange the meatballs onto the bottom slices of the bread, top with lots of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Place them back under the broiler to melt the cheese. Top with dollops of pesto and the top slice of bread. Slice the sandwiches into your preferred serving size, if desired, and enjoy right away while they’re warm and toasty!
This recipe is best served right away, as the garlic bread can go soggy in the refrigerator. If you plan to have leftovers, save the meatballs with marinara sauce in an airtight glass container. Make the garlic bread fresh before you assemble the sandwiches to eat.
I hope you love these meatball sandwiches as much as I do!
The classic taste of a meatball sub sandwich between two slices of crispy garlic bread. Meatballs with homemade marinara are stuffed into garlic bread with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese and topped with dollops of pesto sauce for an extra layer of deliciousness.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 28 oz can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 18-22 italian style meatballs, store bought or homemade
- 2-4 small baguettes
- 4-5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese slices
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tbsp pesto
Place a large saute pan or frying pan over medium low heat. Add the olive oil and let it warm up for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the onions and let them sweat for 10 minutes, until they are translucent and very soft. Add the minced garlic and dried oregano. Stir to combine and let cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir to coat the onion. Continue to stir until the tomato paste darkens in color, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Add the whole San Marzano tomatoes, as well as any tomato sauce in the can, into the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes up into smaller pieces until your preferred consistency is created.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and let bubble for about 10 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and turn the heat on the stove to the lowest setting.
Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and the chopped basil and parsley. Toss to coat the meatballs in the sauce and keep warm while you make the garlic bread.
Slice the baguettes through the middle to create two long halves. Set aside.
Mix the melted butter, minced garlic, dried parsley, and salt in a small bowl. Spoon the garlic butter over the insides of each half of the bread, using the back of the spoon to spread the melted butter from end to end.
Add the baguettes, buttered side up, to a baking tray. Broil the garlic bread on high for 2-4 minutes until toasty, keeping your eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Remove the top halves of each baguette from the baking tray and set aside. Arrange the meatballs onto the bottom slices of each baguette. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan over the tops of the meatballs.
Broil the meatballs on high for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melty.
Top the sandwiches with dollops of pesto. Place the second half of the garlic bread on top of the sandwiches and cut into your preferred serving size. Enjoy!
