OK, so I have a confession. I never remember my Italian Grandmother making a meatball sub. She did, however, make meatballs. Good meatballs. Lots and lots of meatballs. Pasta too, from scratch, by hand. No pasta machine necessary. Very old world. This meatball sub is a Grandmother/ Granddaughter collaboration, some 35 years after her passing. I took her meatball recipe and made it into a sub with cheeses we love.
My maternal Grandmother immigrated from Italy in 1917 at the age of 16, leaving 9 older brothers and sisters, including a twin, as well as her parents, to live in the United States with a sister. She met and married my Grandfather, also an Italian immigrant, who worked for Potomac Electric. She was widowed by the age of 40 and left with 3 daughters to raise, the youngest being 9 (my Mom). Although she achieved her US Citizenship, she spoke only broken English. She worked as a seamstress at Raleigh Haberdasher in Washington, D.C. to provide for her family. It wasn’t until her daughters were grown that she remarried and moved to Florida. She never lost her sewing talent. She made maternity clothes for my Mom. Then made dresses for my dolls and matching aprons for my Mom and me. I still have a few of the dresses and one of the aprons, a Christmas one. My Grandmother died when I was 12, long before I had ANY desire to learn to cook or sew, for that matter. While she didn’t technically teach me to make her meatballs, I do have her recipe from my Mom, who also made her meatballs.
Now I make them all the time not only for spaghetti and meatballs, but also smaller versions for barbecue meatballs as an appetizer and for these meatball subs that my family loves.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion (I like Vidalia onions)
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 Hoagie rolls, uncut
- 1 jar pasta sauce or 18 ounces of your homemade sauce
- 8 slices Provolone cheese
- 1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Parmesan to grate over tops of sandwiches
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine without overworking the meat. Make 12 meatballs from the mixture. (3 good size meatballs for each hoagie roll). (Adjust accordingly for more or less sandwiches).
- In a medium saucepan heat pasta sauce, covered.
- Over medium heat, cook the meatballs in a large skillet, uncovered, adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the skillet. Turn meatballs frequently to avoid burning, adding small amounts of water as necessary. Cook meatballs until no longer pink in center.
- Once meatballs are done, transfer to saucepan with sauce. Let simmer while you prepare the hoagie rolls.
- To prepare hoagie rolls:
- Do not slice completely through the hoagie rolls. Leave a sort of pocket to cradle the ingredients. In each hoagie roll, place 2 slices of Provolone in the crease of the roll. Top with 3 meatballs and a bit of sauce. Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella cheese over top of meatballs. Grate Parmesan cheese over top of subs, if desired.
- Serve hot.
Notes
This recipe is designed for 3 meatballs per hoagie roll. Adjust to the rolls you choose to use. If you make smaller meatballs, use more in each sub.
Meatball Appetizers:
- Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Meatballs with Maple Balsamic Sauce from The Crumby Cupcake
- Cheesy Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs from The Weekend Gourmet
- Crab Cake Mini Meatballs with Tartar Sauce from The Texan New Yorker
- Garlicky Shrimp Meatballs from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Grilled Korean Meatballs from Palatable Pastime
- Saucy Thai Meatballs from Brunch-n-Bites
- Slow Cooker Turkey Appetizer Jelly Meatballs from Noshing With The Nolands
- Stuffed Meatballs from The Freshman Cook
- Tofu Nuggets from NinjaBaker
- Turkey Meatballs in Orange Sauce from Pine Needles In My Salad
- Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Goat Cheese from Our Good Life
Meatball Soups:
- Russian Meatball Soup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Main Dish Meatballs:
- All-Purpose Meatballs from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Baked Meatballs with Swiss Chard from And She Cooks
- Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Cheesy Italian Meatball Sandwich from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Deep Dish Skillet Meatball Pizza from From Gate to Plate
- Fightin’ Irish Balls from Monica’s Table
- General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Grandma’s Italian Meatball Subs from Family Around The Table
- Hamballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Kefta Mkaouara (Moroccan Meatballs Tagine) from Curious Cuisiniere
- Keftedakia (Greek-style Meatballs) from Tramplingrose
- Kofte-Style Lamb Meatballs in a Tomato-Pepper Sauce from Caroline’s Cooking
- Meatball Subs from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce from MyGourmetConnection
- Orecchiette and Meatball Skillet Dinner from Momma’s Meals
- Persian Lamb Meatballs from Food Lust People Love
- Portuguese Meatballs in Garlicky Wine Sauce from Family Foodie
- Roasted Vegetable Meatballs from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Slow Cooker Meatball Stew from Seduction in the Kitchen
- Slow Cooker Spanish Meatballs from The Chef Next Door
- Sriracha Sesame Turkey Meatballs from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Sun Dried Tomato & Bulgarian Feta Chicken Meatballs over Lemon-Spinach Orzo From Simply Healthy Family
- Swedish Meatballs (Frikadeller) from Feeding Big
- Swedish Meatballs with Zucchini Ribbons from Angels Home Sweet Homestead
- Sweet & Sour Freezer to Slow-Cooker Meatballs from Wholistic Woman
- Tajine-el-Khoukh (Algerian Stuffed Peaches) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Thai Spaghetti and Meatballs from Kitchen Gidget
- Thai Red Curry Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce from kimchi MOM
- Ultimate Pasta & Meatballs from MealDiva
Meatball Desserts:
- Brownie Meatballs with Frosting Spaghetti from Pies and Plots
Plus Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and More Amazing Meatball Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement
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