Simple Subway Meatball Marinara Sub Copycat Recipe

By Stephanie Manley Revealed September 11, 2025

You possibly can carry the beloved flavors of Subway’s well-known Meatball Marinara sub straight to your kitchen with this spot-on copycat recipe! This iconic sandwich has been a Subway staple for many years, satisfying prospects with its mixture of tender, well-seasoned meatballs, wealthy marinara sauce, and melted cheese on freshly toasted bread. You possibly can recreate this taste with these do-it-yourself meatball subs.

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Why this recipe works

The magic of this recipe lies within the tender, flavorful meatballs that don’t disintegrate while you chew into the sandwich. These meatballs obtain their excellent texture by way of a mix of beef and pork, which creates most taste and superior moisture retention. The addition of Romano cheese and Italian seasonings infuses every meatball with a wealthy, flavorful style.

Elements

For the Subway-Fashion Meatballs:

• Floor beef (80/20) – Gives the meaty basis with very best fats content material for taste and juiciness
• Floor pork – Provides moisture and tender texture that retains meatballs from being dense
• Breadcrumbs – Creates the sunshine, tender texture that forestalls robust meatballs
• Massive egg, crushed – Acts as a vital binder whereas including richness to the combination
• Garlic, minced – Delivers the fragrant, savory depth present in Subway’s model
• Grated Romano cheese – Contributes a pointy, nutty Italian taste that elevates the meatballs
• Dried parsley – Provides the natural notes important to Subway’s seasoning mix
• Dried Italian seasoning – Gives the signature herb mix for genuine style
• White onion, finely minced – Provides refined sweetness and retains meatballs moist
• Complete milk – Prevents dryness and creates the tender texture Subway prospects anticipate
• Salt – Important for correct seasoning and taste enhancement
• Floor black pepper – Provides the correct quantity of warmth and fragrant complexity
• Vegetable oil – Used for attaining that excellent golden sear on the meatballs

For the Subway-Fashion Meeting:

• Purple onion, sliced – Provides the sharp chew many Subway prospects love
• Marinara or spaghetti sauce – The signature sauce that makes this sandwich iconic
• Hoagie rolls – Sturdy basis much like Subway’s Italian bread
• Additional-virgin olive oil – Used for toasting rolls Subway-style
• Provolone cheese slices – The basic cheese selection that melts completely
• Black olives, sliced – Widespread Subway topping for Mediterranean taste
• Inexperienced bell peppers, sliced – Recent vegetable possibility identical to at Subway

Step-by-Step Directions

Creating the Excellent Subway-Fashion Meatballs

1. Mix the meat base: In a big mixing bowl, gently mix the bottom beef and floor pork, breaking them up along with your fingers with out overworking.
2. Add the Subway seasonings: Add breadcrumbs, crushed egg, minced garlic, Romano cheese, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, finely minced onion, milk, salt, and black pepper to create that signature Subway taste profile.
3. Combine with care: Utilizing your fingers, combine components till simply mixed. Keep away from overmixing, which might create a dense texture that Subway particularly avoids in its meatballs.
4. Kind uniform meatballs: Form combination into 16 meatballs, roughly 1 inch in diameter, much like the dimensions Subway makes use of for constant portioning.

Reaching the Subway Sear

5. Warmth for correct searing: Warmth 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth till shimmering, identical to Subway’s cooking methodology.
6. Sear for taste: Rigorously add meatballs with out overcrowding. Sear for 2-3 minutes per facet till they develop the golden brown crust that locks in Subway’s signature juiciness.
7. Put aside correctly: Take away seared meatballs and put aside. Clear the skillet should you plan to make use of it for the sauce step.

Subway-Fashion Sauce Simmering

8. Put together the sauce base: In a saucepan or the cleaned skillet, heat your marinara sauce over medium warmth till it begins to flippantly simmer, much like how Subway retains their sauce.
9. End the meatballs: Gently add the seared meatballs to the sauce. Cut back warmth to low, cowl, and simmer for 10-12 minutes till absolutely cooked by way of (160-165°F inner temperature).
10. Season to perfection: Style and alter seasoning as wanted to match that acquainted Subway taste.

Making ready Subway-Fashion Bread

11. Preheat to 350°F for toasting, much like Subway’s toasting temperature.
12. Lower like Subway: Rigorously slice every hoagie roll lengthwise, butterflying it open however retaining it hinged, identical to Subway’s signature lower.
13. Toast for texture: Place the cut-side-up rolls on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and bake for five minutes, or till flippantly toasted to stop sogginess.

Closing Subway-Fashion Meeting

1. Serve contemporary: Take away from oven, let cool barely, and serve instantly for that contemporary Subway expertise.
2. Put together for melting: Preheat broiler to excessive for that signature Subway cheese soften.
3. Load the subs: Spoon a beneficiant quantity of meatballs and sauce onto the underside half of every roll, utilizing related parts to Subway’s serving dimension.
4. Add toppings Subway-style: High with provolone cheese slices, then add your selection of black olives, bell peppers, and crimson onions identical to customizing at Subway.
5. Obtain the Subway soften: Place open-faced sandwiches beneath the broiler for 2-3 minutes, till the cheese melts and bubbles, identical to Subway’s toasted subs.

Storage & reheating directions

• Fridge Storage: Retailer meatballs and sauce individually in hermetic containers for as much as 4 days, much like how Subway doubtless handles their prep
• Reheating Methodology: Reheat meatballs and sauce gently in a saucepan over medium-low warmth. Toast contemporary rolls and assemble when prepared, identical to Subway makes them contemporary
• Freezing: Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for as much as 3 months for meal prep comfort

Extra Subway copycat recipes

Favourite copycat sandwich recipes

Try extra of my simple recipes for sandwiches and one of the best copycat quick meals recipes proper right here on CopyKat!

Subway Meatball Sub

Copycat Subway Meatball Sub Sandwiches are loaded with do-it-yourself meatballs, marinara sauce, provolone cheese, and contemporary veggies on toasted hoagie rolls.

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Course: Most important Course

Delicacies: American

Key phrase: Subway Recipes

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 25 minutes minutes

Whole Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Energy: 1038kcal

Elements

• 1 pound 80/20 floor beef
• ½ pound floor pork
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 massive egg crushed
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup grated Romano cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup finely minced white onion
• 1 tablespoon complete milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon floor black pepper
• 2 to three tablespoons vegetable oil
• 14 ounces jarred marinara or spaghetti sauce
• 4 hoagie rolls
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• ¼ cup sliced black olives
• ¼ cup sliced inexperienced bell peppers
• ¼ cup sliced crimson onion

Directions

• In a big mixing bowl, mix the bottom beef and floor pork. Add the panko bread crumbs, crushed egg, minced garlic, Romano cheese, chopped contemporary parsley, Italian seasoning, finely minced onion, milk, salt, and black pepper.

• Utilizing your fingers, combine the components till simply mixed. Watch out to not overmix or over squeeze the combination, as this may end up in dense meatballs. Kind the combination into 16 meatballs (roughly 1 inch in diameter).

• Warmth the 2-3 tablespoons of impartial oil in a big skillet (equivalent to a 12-inch high-sided skillet or forged iron) over medium-high warmth till shimmering. Rigorously add the meatballs to the new skillet, making certain to not overcrowd the pan. Sear for 2-3 minutes per facet till they develop a golden brown crust. Take away the seared meatballs from the skillet and set them apart. Discard any remaining oil if desired, or wipe down the skillet should you plan to make use of it for the sauce.

• In a saucepan or the cleaned skillet used for searing, heat your chosen store-bought marinara or spaghetti sauce over medium warmth. As soon as the sauce begins to flippantly simmer, gently add the seared meatballs to the sauce. Cut back the warmth to low, cowl, and let the meatballs simmer for 10-12 minutes, or till they’re absolutely cooked by way of (Inside temp is 160-165°F). Season to style.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

• Rigorously lower every hoagie roll lengthwise, butterflying it open however being cautious to not utterly slice by way of. Place the cut-side-up rolls on a baking sheet. Brush the insides of the rolls with extra-virgin olive oil. Place the baking sheet within the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes, or till the rolls are flippantly toasted. This helps create a protecting barrier in opposition to sogginess and provides a barely crispy texture.

• As soon as the rolls are flippantly toasted, preheat your oven broiler to excessive. Spoon a beneficiant quantity of the meatballs and sauce onto the underside half of every toasted hoagie roll. High the meatballs and sauce with the provolone cheese slices. Then, add your customized toppings: sliced black olives, inexperienced bell peppers, and crimson onions. Return the assembled sandwiches (open-faced) to the baking sheet and place them beneath the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or till the cheese is melted and bubbly. Observe to stop burning. Take away from the oven, permit to chill barely, and serve instantly.

Diet

Energy: 1038kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 53g | Fats: 68g | Saturated Fats: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 7g | Monounsaturated Fats: 27g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 208mg | Sodium: 2130mg | Potassium: 942mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 972IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 528mg | Iron: 16mg