Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with Chef Tom's Stuffed Meatball Sub Sandwich recipe! Piled high with meatballs, cheese and zesty sauce, this delicious treat will satisfy even the biggest of appetites.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Beating the meatball mixture in a stand mixer until tacky builds the same "primary bind" used in sausage-making, which is what holds the meatballs together on the grill
- Centering a cube of smoked mozzarella inside each meatball before sealing it closed gives every bite a melted cheese core, rather than cheese only melted on top
- Cooking the red sauce alongside the meatballs, rather than before or after, times the sauce to finish right when the meatballs come off the grill
- Scooping out bread from inside the sub rolls before filling them makes room for the sauce and meatballs, so the sandwich holds its filling rather than overflowing a standard roll
Stuffed Meatball Sub Sandwich
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
676
The Stuffed Meatball Sub Sandwich! Chef Tom brings us another great utilization of ground beef and staple pantry items with this beefy, cheesy, saucy Stuffed Meatball Sub Sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb 80/20 ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley, minced
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
- 4 oz smoked mozzarella cheese, 1/2” cubes
-
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
-
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
-
1 1/2 cup (1/2 can) Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes
- 2 tbsp (1/2 bunch) fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp (1/2 oz) fresh basil, minced
- Sub sandwich buns
- 2 oz smoked mozzarella, grated
For the meatballs: Yield 6 (5 oz) meatballs
For the red sauce:
For the sub sandwich:
Directions
- To make the meatballs, combine the ground beef, egg, parmesan, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture over medium speed until the mixture becomes tacky and holds together, about 1 minute. Remove from the bowl.
- Divide the sausage into 4 equal sized balls.
- One at a time, flatten each ball in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of smoked mozzarella in the center, then close the sausage around the cheese. Form into a ball, fully encasing the mozzarella.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 400ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
- Place the meatballs on the grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF on the innermost part of the beef.
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the red sauce. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a Lodge 12” Cast Iron Skillet, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Season with the Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning and red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoon. Let the sauce simmer until the meatballs are finished cooking on the grill. Mix in the parsley and basil.
- Scoop out a good portion of the bread inside the sub sandwich rolls. Lay a layer of sauce inside the roll. Top with meatballs. Cover with more sauce and grated mozzarella cheese. Place back in the grill to melt the cheese before serving the Stuffed Meatball Sub Sandwich.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why beat the meatball mixture in a stand mixer until it becomes tacky?
Mixing it this way for about a minute builds the same "primary bind" technique used in sausage-making — the protein structure that holds ground meat together, which is what keeps these meatballs intact on the grill rather than falling apart.
Why place a cube of smoked mozzarella in the center of each meatball instead of topping the finished meatballs with cheese?
Sealing the cheese inside gives every bite a melted core once the meatball cooks through, rather than cheese that's only melted on the outside surface.
Why make the red sauce while the meatballs are still on the grill, instead of before or after?
Cooking both at the same time means the sauce finishes simmering right around when the meatballs reach temperature, rather than needing extra idle time for one component to catch up to the other.
Why scoop bread out of the sub rolls before filling them with sauce and meatballs?
Removing some of the bread creates room for the sauce and meatballs to sit inside the roll, so the sandwich holds its filling rather than overflowing a standard, unhollowed bun.
What internal temperature should the meatballs actually reach?
This recipe grills them until the internal temperature reaches 160°F on the innermost part of the beef, matching the USDA minimum for ground beef exactly.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — a regular oven can bake the meatballs, a stovetop skillet can make the red sauce, and a broiler can melt the cheese on the assembled sandwich exactly the way the grill does here.
Recipe Highlights
Primary-bind mixing technique: Holds the meatballs together during cooking.
Cheese-stuffed center: Delivers melted mozzarella in every bite.
Parallel sauce-making: Times the sauce to finish with the meatballs.
Hollowed-out sub rolls: Makes room for a generous filling.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 11.25 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 676
- Carbs
- 33 grams
- Protein
- 48 grams
- Fat
- 39 grams
- Sodium
- 696 milligrams
