I love sit down meals with my family. Gathering around the table over a delicious plate of food is always a great time to catch up about how everyone’s day went. With multiple family members, our schedules can get a bit hectic though so sometimes I enjoy having some kitchen shortcuts up my sleeve. These let me prepare an easy dinner without too much time or hassle. One such timesaver that I have found is using Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce to make an easy meatball sub on busy nights. I will share this easy meatball sub recipe with you here.
This post is sponsored by The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA). All opinions are my own. For more inspiration during #FrozenFoodMonth, be sure to check out delicious ideas from NFRA at EasyHomeMeals.com #MFFM2023
Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce
Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce are the best frozen meatballs I have ever tasted. In fact, my daughter thought they were homemade which makes sense because Rao’s® is a very high quality, authentic Italian brand. Regarding that, you may be wondering how to pronounce Rao’s® sauce. Since my last name is Paolicchi, I can shed some light on that for you. In Italian, the “ao” vowel combination is pronounced as “ow”. So, it sounds like R-ow.
I have been buying Rao’s® pasta sauce for years. However, only recently did I discover Rao’s® line of super-premium, frozen entrees. They offer delicious varieties in both single-serve and multi-serve size. So, there’s a meal for every occasion! Their tagline is, “Rao’s® makes every day delicious!” And indeed they do.
My favorite Rao’s® Made For Home Frozen entree is the Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce because it comes in family size, and it is a great timesaver. I don’t have to worry about making the meatballs and sauce, but I can feature them as part of our family meal. Of course, they are great served with spaghetti and salad, but my favorite way is to eat them in a meatball submarine sandwich.
These delectable sandwiches which feature a cylindrical bread roll split lengthwise filled with tasty meatballs are known by many names. According to Wikipedia, they are “commonly known as a sub, hoagie, hero, Italian, grinder, wedge, or a spuckie.” Personally, I always call them meatball subs or meatball grinders. Delicious by any name!
Rao’s® uses wholesome, simple ingredients. You can rest assured that there are no preservatives, no artificial colors, and no artificial flavors. You will love these tender beef and pork meatballs smothered in marinara sauce.
Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce Recipe Ingredients: Meatballs (Pork, Beef, Water, Bread Crumbs, Romano Cheese, Whole Egg, Parsley, Salt, Garlic, Spices), Sauce (Italian Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Olive Oil, Onion, Salt, Garlic, Spices).
If you value delicious quality Italian food and you are looking for a convenient meal, you will love this easy meatball sub recipe!
Meatball Sub Recipe
This meatball grinder recipe is super easy to make with very little cooking involved at all. You really just have to follow the instructions on the package for cooking frozen meatballs. Other than that, you just gather your bread and toppings and do a toasting, chopping, or placing in a serving bowl.
The only ingredients absolutely necessary for a meatball sub are the roll, meatballs and sauce. However, when thinking about what goes with meatball subs, I like to add in toppings that taste amazing and make sure we get our veggies in for a complete meal.
Ingredients:
- Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce
- Italian bread roll or sub rolls
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- Grated or Shredded Parmesan
- Green Bell Pepper, sliced
- Black Olives, sliced
- Pepperoncini Peppers (whole pickled Italian peppers) optional garnish
- Parsley, finely chopped optional garnish
How To Make Meatball Subs
Cooking Frozen Meatballs
First, you will want to follow the directions on the box for how to cook Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce. You have two options to cook frozen meatballs. You can choose the oven for low and slow or you can go with microwave for fast and convenient. Either way, I like to garnish the cooked meatballs with a bit of fresh parsley before I serve them.
Preparing The Toppings
While the meatballs and sauce are warming up, you can slice up your toppings. Place these in individual serving bowls. Your family can help themselves to as much as they like that way.
I use fresh mozzarella slices on my meatball subs because I love the fresh flavor as it melts against the hot meatballs and sauce. Alternatively, shredded mozzarella works well, as do slices of provolone cheese.
Sometimes, for variety, I use chopped fresh spinach leaves instead of bell peppers.
Prepare The Bread
Cut you bread in half lengthwise. I used sub rolls but you can also use a single long Italian loaf and slice it into about 6″ pieces. I like to leave it hinged and not cut all the way through. This will help hold in all the toppings and delicious sauce.
Assemble The Sub Sandwich
I like to serve this buffet style on our kitchen counter so everyone can assemble the best meatball grinder according to their taste buds. However, you can serve it all for them if you like.
Place veggies on top of cut bread and then place the meatballs and sauce. I use three whole meatballs on each sub. They are big meatballs! You could use meatball halves for those that want a smaller portion. Six large meatballs come in the box which I find perfect for 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 kids. Now cover the meatballs and with the cheese slices and part.
Stick the stuffed roll under the broiler for 1-3 minutes until the cheese is nice and melty. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
What To Serve With Meatball Subs
Because I put plenty of toppings on my meatball subs, I consider them to be full meals. Therefore, I just serve my meat grinders with a few pepperoncini for garnish. However, if want to serve a side with your meatball sub, you can always add fries, chips, or salad.
Where To Buy Rao’s® Made For Home Frozen Entrees
If you are wondering where to buy Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce, look for this and other Rao’s® Made For Home Frozen Entrees at your favorite retailer today. In Nashville, I can find them at Publix, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, and Sprouts Farmers Market. You can use their product locator here.
Printable Recipe Card For Meatball Sub
Easy Meatball Sub
Ingredients
- 1 box of Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce
- 1 Italian bread roll or 2 sub rolls
- 1 fresh log of mozzarella cheese cut in thin slices
- 3 tbsp of grated or shredded Parmesan
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small can of black olives, sliced
- 6 pepperoncini peppers (optional garnish)
- 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Cook meatballs and sauce according to package instructions.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Slice toppings and place in serving bowls.
- Slice rolls in half lengthwise, not quite all the way through.
- Add toppings, meatballs, sauce, and cheese to the rolls.
- Toast rolls on middle oven rack under broiler for 1-3 minutes until cheese melts.
- Garnish plates with pepperoncini and serve.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Easy Meatball Sub
Serves: 2
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 sub
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 297.58 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 20.15 g | 30.8% | |
| Saturated Fat 6.52 g | 30% | |
| Trans Fat 0.33 g | ||
| Cholesterol 34.83 mg | 11.3% | |
| Sodium 1168.35 mg | 48.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 17.79 g | 5.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 4.09 g | 16% | |
| Sugars 1.27 g | ||
| Protein 13.1 g | ||
| Vitamin A 69.35 µg | Vitamin C 41.05 mg | |
| Calcium 270.31 mg | Iron 4.31 mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Family Focus Blog
I am passionate about wholesome, authentic Italian meals. I love that Rao’s® Made For Home Meatballs & Sauce are such timesavers so we can enjoy a delicious family meal even on busy nights. Do you think you will try this easy meatball sub recipe? Share your photos or feedback with us on social media @familyfocusblog and @raoshomemade
Visit Easy Home Meals for great recipe and meal solutions and to enter the March Frozen Food Month Sweepstakes for a chance to win up to $10,000 in prizes!
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Luxury Duncan says
Not fair! I’m now hungry.
And I’ve only just eaten. I love your suggestions for what to put in a meatball sub. That loaded meatball sub looks divine. And now I know how to make meatball subs with frozen meatballs.
Seriously though, I love that you promote sitting down with family to eat. Too many families don’t. We can’t always, because of the kids clubs and some have to eat earlier or later, or because of work and travel, but we try to make sure that at least half or our weekly meals are sat together to catch up together.
Sunday dinner is almost sacred to us, for this reason. It is always a hearty meal, like roast chicken or similar, so the kids adore it, lured to the table by the delicious smells 🙂