How To Make a Sub Sandwich with Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
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Consumer warning! These mouth-watering Cheese Stuffed Meatballs are extremely addictive! Forget all you know about your current favorite meatball recipe – these little beauties are going to change your mind! Add them to fresh, warm bread for the ultimate sub sandwich!
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Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Meatballs are classic comfort food, and they’re even better when stuffed with cheese!
In this recipe, we’ll show you how to make cheese-stuffed meatballs that can be used as the filling for sub rolls and hoagies.
And they go just as well over a plate of spaghetti too!
When you’re pressed for time, make and shape the cheese stuffed meatballs the day before, and cook them as directed when ready to serve.
You can make a larger batch too if you like, as they also freeze well. (See my Recipe Tips further down the page).
Furthermore, the leftovers keep well for a couple of days so you can enjoy them later in the week. So let’s get started!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. Staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., aren’t always included here as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ALL ingredients with measurements is found on the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Onion, Garlic
- Protein – Ground Beef (Beef Mince), Ground Pork
- Dairy – Parmesan, Whole Milk, Cheese Sticks, Provolone
- Other – Eggs, Hoagie Rolls/Sub Rolls
- Italian Breadcrumbs – simply breadcrumbs with added Italian herbs. If you can’t source this ingredient, you can make your own by throwing these ingredients into a food processor: 5 slices of dried out bread, 2 teaspoons of dried parsley, 1 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of salt (or to your personal preference) and a twist of cracked black pepper. Pulse until fine crumbs. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or place into a freezer-safe food bag, remove the air, and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Italian Seasoning – this recipe uses store-bought Italian Seasoning, but it is so easy to make your own using our Homemade Italian Seasoning.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Marina Sauce
- Special Equipment:
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, that you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Ground Beef
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is ground beef (beef mince), so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Beef Enchiladas Recipe with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Instant Pot Stuffed Poblano Pepper Soup Recipe
- Indian Keema Matar Pie with Bombay Potato Topping
More Sandwich Recipes
Looking for more sandwiches to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Classic BLT With a Twist! (Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwich)
- Shrimp Slaw Sandwich with Garlic Lemon Aioli
- BBQ Pork Sandwich with Grilled Apples + Slaw
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.
Recipe Tips
- Nonstick cooking spray will make it easier to remove any cheese that drips out while baking. Placing the meatballs directly on a dark baking sheet, as shown in the recipe card (vs. on parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat), will help them brown.
- The key to keeping the cheese inside the meatballs while baking is to press firmly while shaping the meatballs with your hands. The goal is to “seal” the cheese inside with the meat crust.
- They are also delicious to serve over a warm plate of spaghetti or on their own for a lighter option.
- Storing Leftovers: Cool and transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: These jumbo cheese-stuffed meatballs freeze well. Cool and transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container or into a freezer-safe bag with the air squeezed out. Label with the name of the dish and the date so you can keep track of your food storage. Place in the freezer where the meatballs will be good for 2-3 months. Be sure to allow it to thaw fully in the fridge (overnight) before reheating until piping hot throughout.
- As with all leftover foods, make sure they look and smell good before diving in.
How Do I Make Cheese Stuffed Meatballs?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Sub Sandwich Made with Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs
Makes 12 large meatballs
These mouth-watering Cheese Stuffed Meatballs are extremely addictive! Forget all you know about your current favorite meatball recipe - these little beauties are going to change your mind!
Ingredients
- 1 lbs (450g) ground beef (80% lean/20% fat (or greater))
- 1 lbs (450g) ground pork
- ¼ large white onion, finely minced
- 3-4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ - ½ t. crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 4 Pepper Jack or Mozzarella cheese sticks
- 1 (24-oz/680g) jar marina sauce
- 4 (8-inch) Hoagie/Sub buns
- Thinly sliced Provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Spray a large, rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside*.
- Add the beef, pork, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using them, to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Combine thoroughly with clean hands until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the mixture. Do not overwork.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface and spread it into a uniformly thick rectangle and cut it into 12 equal-sized portions, as shown.
- Divide the cheese sticks evenly between the 12 squares and form the meat around the cheese firmly with your hands to create the meatballs.**
- Place the finished meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining sections until complete.
- .Place the baking sheet on the top oven rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully turn each meatball with a spatula. Return to the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F/71°C when inserted into the thickest part of the meatballs.***
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside, but do not turn off the oven.
- Use paper towels to remove excess grease from the meatballs.
- Pour the marinara sauce into a large skillet set over medium-low heat and carefully add the meatballs. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the sauce is heated through, while carefully turning the meatballs to coat in the sauce.
- Carefully slice open the hoagie buns and arrange them on a lined baking sheet. Fill each bun with two or three meatballs and some of the sauce. Top each sub with two or three slices of Provolone cheese and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the meatball subs from the oven and serve immediately with your choice of sides. Enjoy!
Notes
- *The nonstick cooking spray will make it easier to remove any cheese that drips out while baking. Placing the meatballs directly on a dark baking sheet, as shown (vs. on parchment paper or a Silpat™ baking sheet), will help them brown.
- **The key to keeping the cheese inside the meatballs while baking is to press firmly while shaping the meatballs with your hands. The goal is to “seal” the cheese inside with the meat crust.
- ***The meatballs will reach a safe temperature of 165°F while they rest and are warmed in the marina sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 559Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 1409mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 33g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.