Italian Chicken Meatball Subs made easy with chicken meatballs smothered in a homemade marinara sauce and topped with provolone and mozzarella cheese!
Chicken Meatball and Marinara Sub
Juicy, seasoned meatballs smothered in a marinara sauce, piled into a soft bun, and finished with a topping of melted mozzarella and provolone are the stuff dreams are made of. I mean, seriously, meatballs, cheese, sauce, bread—there’s nothing better!
This is meant to be a delicious quick meal that the entire family will love, whether it’s during busy weeknights or a family supper on the weekend, so I use store-bought chicken meatballs.
If you have the extra time to make homemade meatballs, go for it. I do recommend making the homemade sauce, as it is definitely worth the extra bit of time, but even that can be from a jar. The entire meal is ready in 30 minutes, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s easy! A great recipe for novice cooks, college students, shift workers, and busy parents.
- Tastes great. Again, meatballs, sauce, cheese, and bread. Say less.
- Customizable. Make as much of it homemade or store-bought as you like. Yes, even the rolls can be made from scratch if you want.
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Peeled and crushed tomatoes – The tomato base of this homemade marinara sauce.
- Aromatics and seasoning – Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper, chopped onion, and minced garlic.
- Meatballs – I use Aidells Italian style chicken meatballs because it is a chicken meatball sub recipe, but you can just as easily swap it for Italian meatballs (beef and pork), all beef meatballs, turkey meatballs, etc.
- Sub rolls – Use your favorite buns for this. I love the soft sub rolls, but you can use kaiser buns or any large dinner roll. You could even make mini sliders with slider buns.
- Cheese – I use sliced provolone and shredded mozzarella.
How to make Chicken Meatball Subs
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Sauté the onions in a large saucepan with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Once it’s translucent, stir in the minced garlic.
- Step Two: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and seasoning and stir everything to combine. Bring it to a simmer.
- Step Three: Add the meatballs straight from frozen (if they’re fully cooked). Turn the heat to low, cover, and let the chicken meatballs heat through for about 5-8 minutes.
- Step Four: Hold open your sub rolls and pile on the meatballs and cheese. The cheese will melt from the heat of the meatballs and sauce. Enjoy!
How to serve it
Serve these meatball subs with a side of roasted carrots or an easy chopped veggie salad, and finish the meal off with cannoli poke cake.
- If you like a toasted roll, slightly toast it while the meatballs are simmering in the sauce.
- For homemade meatballs, brown them first and then add them to the sauce to finish cooking through.
- Garnish your sub with fresh herbs like basil or parsley.
- Make it spicy by adding red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Store leftover meatballs in sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I don’t recommend storing an assembled chicken meatball sub as the bread will get soggy in no time.
Freezing Instructions
Keep them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container to keep them frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw the meatballs and sauce overnight in the fridge.
Reheating Instructions
These meatballs can be reheated quickly in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Feel free to use them in subs again, or repurpose them for game-day appetizers or a classic spaghetti and meatballs.
FAQs
What goes good on a meatball sub?
If you like toppings on yours, think about adding grilled onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
How do you prevent the rolls from getting soggy?
I find toasting them beforehand helps with that. Although, in the end, the sauce will soak through the bread anyway. It’s part of the fun, but also why we say they’re best eaten right away!
Need more meatball recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Meatballs
Click here to view my entire collection of meatball recipes.
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Italian Chicken Meatball Subs
Ingredients
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 28 ounces peeled & crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 12 ounces fully cooked meatballs I used Aidells Italian Style Chicken Meatballs
- salt & pepper to taste
- sub rolls
- sliced provolone cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped onion. Saute until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and stir.1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, and salt & pepper. Stir together and bring to a simmer.28 ounces peeled & crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt & pepper to taste
- Add in the meatballs, turn heat to low, cover, and let heat through – about 5-8 minutes.12 ounces fully cooked meatballs
- Once heated through, toast your sub rolls and pile on meatballs and cheese.sub rolls, sliced provolone cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese
- Let cheese melt and enjoy!
Notes
- Any meatball can be used – I used Aidells Italian Style Chicken Meatballs in this batch. Homemade meatballs can also be used, as long as they’re precooked.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published May 10, 2016
