Make your own Marinara Meatball Subs at home using this easy recipe! This uses frozen meatballs to help save time!

I love coming up with ways to use up food I have in the freezer. Recently, it’s been frozen meatballs.

I’ll buy a bag but only use half of it for a recipe, and then forget about it. So I’ve been thinking of creative ideas to use them up!

These Marinara Meatball Sandwiches come together super quickly, making these a perfect easy dinner idea. Made with frozen meatballs, a jarred sauce, and melted cheese, these may rival certain sub shops!

The best part is, homemade meatball subs are a whole lot cheaper than what you can buy elsewhere. You can feed your whole family for way less on busy weeknights!

Scroll to the bottom of the post to get to the recipe card. Or keep reading to see what else you can add to this!

Want to see this recipe in video form? Check out my video on Youtube!

Ingredients

This has super simple ingredients. Some of them are grocery store staples I always try to keep in my pantry.

Frozen meatballs- I used plain meatballs, but Italian meatballs or turkey meatballs would work

Sub rolls / hoagie rolls

Pasta sauce

Sliced provolone cheese

Canned mushrooms

Additions and Substitutions

Cheese: Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese would go great with this!

Sauce: I used a jar of spaghetti sauce, but you can make your own tomato sauce or homemade marinara sauce.

Bread: I’ve honestly used hot dog buns at times just to use them up. It still works!

Vegetables: Grilled onions and bell peppers would be AMAZING on this.

Seasonings: Add other seasonings and spices like red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, etc.

Can you use homemade meatballs?

You can definitely make your own meatballs! This is my favorite recipe for homemade meatballs. I recommend cooking them first before adding to the sauce, just to make things easier. If this is your first time making them yourself, don’t worry. It’s super simple!

Most meatballs use the following:

• Ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork
• Bread crumbs
• Egg
• Seasonings

Why not make a double batch to freeze and use later?

Can you make this in the slow cooker?

Yes! If you don’t have a ton of time, putting the ingredients in a crock pot can really help. I’d recommend cooking this on LOW for 4-5 hours.

How to make

In a medium saucepan, add meatballs, marinara sauce, and mushrooms. Turn to medium heat and place a lid on top.

Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are fully heated and the sauce is bubbly.

Tear a slice of provolone in half and place on the sub roll. Add meatballs on top and serve.

How to store

Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge. Use up within 3-5 days.

What to serve with this

I served this with some steamed broccoli, although other steamed or roasted vegetables would go great with this.

You can also have a salad on the side. I love using salad kits because they’re super easy!

More Meatball Recipes

Want some more ways to use up leftover meatballs? Check out my roundup post of meatball recipes!

These easy meatball subs will definitely be on my menu more often! On busy days, this will definitely help. Print the full recipe below: