This oven baked meatball sandwich recipe is a perfect easy dinner idea for busy days. Also great for large groups, game day, or as an on-the-go meal. It’s one of our most popular posts – pinned over 1 million times!
These sandwiches are not only incredibly simple to make, but they are total comfort food. The bread smells delicious as it gets toasted in the oven, the meatballs are warm and tender, and the gooey melted cheese might just be the best part! This dinner has been a lifesaver in our home for years.
The ingredients are simple — you will need meatballs, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sandwich rolls.
Many times I like to make my popular Baked Turkey Meatballs with Spinach for our Meatball Sandwiches, but I also make them with frozen, pre-made meatballs from the freezer section of my grocery store. I do that A LOT. So, if you want easy, go with the frozen ones. If you have more time, go for homemade meatballs.
Here’s how to make this easy dinner idea:
Get your rolls ready. You want rolls that aren’t cut all the way through, they should be connected one side so that they will cradle the ingredients. I usually buy rolls that are already cut like this, or rolls that aren’t cut at all and I cut them myself.
Place your meatballs in a big pot and cover them with your pasta sauce.
If you are using frozen meatballs, place them frozen into the pot — no need to cook them in advance. If you are using homemade ones, put them into the pot after cooking them.
Cover your meatballs with sauce (enough that all the meatballs are covered). You can use homemade pasta sauce or jarred sauce. Gently fold the meatballs with the sauce, this isn’t the time for vigorous stirring or you’ll destroy the meatballs. Heat them on low-medium, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated thoroughly.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Take each roll and fill with as many meatballs as you can fit. I usually do this with a slotted spoon and I avoid scooping the sauce as much as possible. I can generally get 4-5 meatballs into one sandwich roll, but this will vary depending on the size of roll you use.
Top the meatballs with a bit of pasta sauce from your pot. Place your meatball sandwiches, as you fill them, directly on the baking sheet.
Now, top each sandwich with shredded mozzarella cheese. My favorite part…CHEESE.
Bake in an oven at 400 degrees until cheese is melted, hot, and bubbly! Serve with a salad or chips for a super easy meal.
Want another easy, cheesy sandwich recipe? Check out our Buffalo Chicken Panini Recipe!
Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches Tips
If you are serving these during a party, game night, or if these are being packed for meals away from home, it might be helpful to wrap each sandwich individually. I liked to do this with foil, before baking. Here’s how:
- Tear off one piece of foil for each sandwich (big enough to wrap the sandwich)
- With one piece of foil, spray the top of the foil with cooking spray.
- Place a sandwich roll in the middle and on top of the cooking sprayed side of the foil.
- Fill with meatballs and pasta sauce. Top with cheese.
- Fold one large corner of the foil completely over the top of the sandwich. Fold the left and the right sides of the foil over the sandwich. Roll the sandwich towards the top part of the foil so the entire sandwich is secured in the foil.
- Bake in a 400 degree F oven for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.
Easy Dinner Idea:
Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches Recipe
PrintOven Baked Meatball Sandwiches
Ingredients
- Sandwich rolls (cut with one side intact)
- Cooked Meatballs (your favorite recipe or frozen, pre-made meatballs)
- Pasta Sauce (homemade or jarred)
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place your frozen cooked meatballs or homemade cooked meatballs in a large pot. Cover with your pasta sauce. Gently fold the meatballs with the sauce, Heat the meatballs and sauce on low-medium, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated thoroughly.
- Fill a roll with as many meatballs as you can fit (usually 4-5 meatballs, depends on size of meatballs and the size of the roll). Top with more pasta sauce from your pot. Place filled sandwich rolls closely on baking sheet. Top each sandwich with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melted, hot, and bubbly.
Lydia says
Love this recipe works great for delivering to our crew during planting and harvest! Only note I make a garlic butter to put on the sandwich rolls before filling up with the meat balls and sauce. Stick butter melted, 2 part garlic powder, 1 part onion powder and parmesan cheese!
★★★★★
Karen Joslyn says
These look amazingly quick and delicious! One question: can I cook the meatballs in a crock pot before putting them on the sandwiches??
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Tonya says
I have been making these forna long time but when I make these, I serve them with a side of warm pasta sauce for dipping or just to add extra to the sandwich if they like, and also a small side of Spaghetti noodles with a little sauce and a small bit of salad if they prefer. It’s perfect. For the kids, I usually cut the sub in half as I find it’s perfect size for them with the added sides. As they say, it’s spaghetti n meatballs with bread served in a different way. The possibilities are endless with a meatball sub.
Donna says
I made this. I used garlic spread and toasted the buns. Turned out great.
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Sandy says
Nice, easy dinner. I made my own meatballs but used a good quality jarred sauce. Just grab a few meatballs and heat them in the sauce, then top with cheese. I had plenty meatballs for several meals but didn’t get tired of it.
★★★★
Brooke says
These are so easy to make and the kids and husband LOVED them. I am so happy to have another quick dinner idea that they look forward to.
★★★★★
namr says
way we enjoy them is in my Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches – which are super easy. But even if meatball sandwiches aren’t your thing, I have our […]
Christine @ myblissfulmess says
These are so easy to make and are a perfect quick weeknight dinner. I toasted the buns lightly before filling with meatballs, sauce and cheese, just because we like them that way. They were so yummy! Kids approved!
★★★★★
Lynn Skiff says
toasting rolls first sounds really crunchy good thanks for idea
Judy says
Spreading garlic butter on the rolls before toasting them gives an even tastier crunchy roll to make the sandwiches with.
Alexandra says
I made this with fresh meatballs and my quick homemade sauce, served it on a brioche roll, which is what I had on hand. Great dinner and plenty of leftovers for lunches and one more dinner. Thank you for sharing
★★★★
Suzanne says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Lizzie says
Thank you for sharing this to everyone!! My family is in love with this recipe. 😉
★★★★
Roseann Hampton says
Looks delicious! Meatball sandwiches have always been one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop!
Michelle says
These sandwiches look delicious. I love the tips at the bottom of the post!
Amy says
Your meatball sandwiches look like they taste so good. Thank you for sharing. Found you at Thursday Favorite Things.
Maggie Unzueta says
This sandwich looks so deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right this minute!
Marcelyn Oliver says
OMG! This was good! So fast and easy. Very filling too. Will definitely make again. I used frozen beef meatballs but microwaved them for a few minutes first. Then I put them in a jarred pasta sauce and cooked on medium until heated through. Great value with roasted garlic and onion. Spooned over subway rolls and topped with lots of mozzarella cheese and voila dinner is done in a flash! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Tracy says
Made these tonight super easy meal family enjoyed will definitely make again lined baking dish with foil so easy clean up as well
Lita Watson says
So quick your dish is! Is there any substitute of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese for this recipe ? These sandwiches will taste good if it’s preserve for 2 days, won’t it?
David Morton says
So tried this for a group of 30 people – various ages (K-10 as well as teachers and some parent volunteers) as it was for a play rehearsal that was going late. Never sure what amount is good for each person in that situation – Used Parisian baguettes for the buns – cooked as per instruction (had to half them to fit all of them in the oven), baked them in foil but lined that with parchment paper – then completely wrapped them for delivery (no oven on site). Then, to serve just unwrapped and cut to size of sandwich the person wanted – so easy!!! veggie trays and chips as sides.
★★★★★
Audra Gaines says
I used provolone and Gouda cheese. Yummy!!
★★★★★
Helen says
My husband will love these!! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner party!
Gina Gentry says
I’m definitely going to try this! Does anyone have a good (beef) meatball recipe?
★★★★★
Bo Jackman says
If you plan on making this recipe, make sure you cook the meatballs first. I followed the directions and the meatballs came out still raw.
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brandie says
Yes, this recipe is for cooked meatballs, which is how it’s stated in the recipe.
Samantha says
Sometimes it REALLY pays to READ the directions!!!
Joy says
I love this! Super easy and looks amazing. I think we will give it a try tonight :):) thanks!
Mimi SoFlY says
In The Process Of Making These Right Now..But I Made My Own Meatballs..I Know They Are Going To Come Out Great :).
Bonnie says
I think I will cook my meatballs then can in thick pasta sause so I can just open
the jar and heat. This sounds awesome. I might even cook the meatballs on the Treager
bbq and see how that turns out first.
Angus says
We’re trying this tonight, thinking ahead to summer though, has anyone ever tried using a bbq instead of the oven?
brandie says
Hi Angus! I’ve never made them on the grill, but that’s a great idea.
Candace says
Made these tonight were great, my husband ate like 4!! He loved them!! Big hit and super easy! Love it!!
brandie says
Thanks Candace! Glad you like them.
Amy @ {Life to the Full} says
This is a perfect supper idea to add to meal planning! Thanks for sharing!
Margo, Thrift at Home says
looks so good! I have some leftover homemade cocktail meatballs in the freezer and this is my new plan for them.
krissy says
Loved them!! They are so easy to make. My family loved them. Thanks for sharing.
krissy says
OMG. I made these tonight for my family. It was a hit. Everyone loved them. They are so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Susan says
I have a bunch of family coming next week. This would be a great idea for lunch. Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday.
Miz Helen says
What a great recipe for a crowd, we will sure be trying this one! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great summer weekend and come back to see me real soon!
Miz Helen
Elsa says
Gah!! This looks delicious!! I am going to give this a shot.
Stacy says
I am going to use four cheese for this. My family doesn’t care for Mozz. Cheese so we always substitute other cheeses for it.
Leann says
These were absolutely delicious! I managed to severely burn the bottoms of my meatballs, so next time I’m going to lower the temperature and increase the bake time. Either way, I cut off the burnt part and my hubby and I love this recipe!
brandie says
Thank you, Leann! I’m so glad you liked them!
billy says
This was great. Made this for my wife and she loved it.
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
Your meatball sandwiches sound wonderful. I love the meatball recipe you used with turkey and spinach. That would give such a nice flavour. Thank you for sharing this recipe with The Gallery of Favorites.
Alea says
Your meatball sandwiches are going to be a huge hit with my family! I’ve pinned this recipe to my dinner board and will be adding it to my menu soon.
Michelle says
Visiting from Gallery of Favorites.
This is a great way to prepare meatball sandwiches for a crowd. That browned cheesy topping is my favorite part too.
Your Golden Ticket Blog says
Looks so good! Way better than the subway meatball sandwiches I usually get. 😉
Jenn says
These look delicious! My husband will love them, I can tell already!
Were you able to freeze with success? I’m one to make lots and then freeze for quick dinners.
brandie says
Hi Jenn,
I still haven’t tried freezing them, but am planning on making them again soon and still have plans on testing them as a freezer meal. When I make them, we always have extras, but my husband and kids usually end up eating them for lunch the couple days after.
Laura says
I think this should be easy enough to do with just making the meatballs (or purchasing them) and putting together right before serving. I don’t see much reason to freeze the whole thing beforehand. The sandwich (I would think) will taste better and fresher with fresh bread. Just my opinion!
Andrew says
Does the bread get hard when you bake it in the oven or does it stay soft? Thanks in advance!
brandie says
They are still somewhat soft after baking, not hard. The bottom (part sitting on the baking sheet) can get a bit crispy, depending on how long you leave them in the oven. Overall, they do stay softer if you wrap in foil before baking.
Ali says
Wow those look delicious! Spotted this over at Skip to My Lou. Thanks for the recipe, pinning this one. 🙂
Tricia Jocelyn says
Trying these tonight They look so yummy! Thanks for sharing!..:)
christi harrison says
I made the turkey meatballs tonight and they were soooo good! We were skeptical because we have tried using turkey for burgers and tacos and never liked the way it tasted. These were DELICIOUS! I would definitly recommend the turkey meatball recipe. We froze them and plan on making the meatball sandwiches this week. My 2 year old picky eater even ate them! Thanks so much!
monica says
Made these tonight and they were WONDERFUL! I followed the entire recipe, making the meatballs instead of buying the frozen ones and they were delicious! Plus, they were decently healthy with the turkey and spinach 🙂 My husband said it was one of the best things i’ve made in a while and there were so many meatballs left over, I threw them in the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner next week!! Thanks!
brandie says
Monica, thank you so much for taking the time to tell me how much you enjoy my meatball sandwich idea! And I think it’s always great when you can do the work one time, but get multiple meals. 🙂
lisa~ says
These look yummy ans easy! I would like to make them for a ladies lunch. What would you suggest serving with them? Thanks.
brandie says
Thanks Lisa! We usually pair our meatball sandwiches with a salad and/or fresh fruit. Sometimes with potato chips. The meatball sandwiches are fairly hearty, so I prefer lighter with side items.
Heather says
Tried these as my soon will eat nothing but pizza type things, the bottoms were so mushy? Where did I go wrong?
brandie says
Hi Heather! I’m not exactly sure about what could have went wrong, this isn’t a problem I’ve experienced. Some thoughts are that maybe the rolls weren’t thick enough and/or the sauce was thin, or maybe too much sauce? It’s hard to say. I use a fairly thick sandwich roll, my sauce is usually a thicker consistency, and when I scoop the meatballs, I make sure to not scoop much extra sauce with them…but top them with extra sauce.
Carri says
I make these often but with homemade meatballs. To slow down the soggy factor place rolls under the broiler to toast a bit. Then lay slices of provolone and broil again til melty. The cheese protects the bread!! 🙂
Heather says
If you bake the open rolls for a few minutes before you place in your ingredients, it will help.
Nicole says
How long would u say it takes to cook the meatballs?
brandie says
Hi Nicole!
I’ve never actually timed it, but I would say that it takes about 15 minutes to heat frozen meatballs in pasta sauce. This would depend though on how many meatballs are you are heating and how large they are. Hope that helps!
Griffin says
Those look absolutely amazing!! I think I know what we are having this weekend while watching football. Thanks for sharing.
RecipeNewZ says
Amazing idea and delicious sandwiches!! They were an instant hit on RecipeNewZ and as such are now featured on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RecipeNewZ. Congrats!
Melissa Haggerty says
These are so amazing! Very fast and easy to make, and my kids love them!
LaShuna Vincent says
Oh wow that looks delicious!! We are from Louisiana and have always eaten Meatball subs but your look great!! Will try tonight!!
brandie says
Thanks so much, LaShuna!
Stacy says
Do u think I could freeze these?
brandie says
Hi Stacy, I haven’t ever froze these, but I am thinking that they might not do that well being frozen, that the bread might not hold up that well. I’m just not sure. It’s a great question — you’ve got me wondering so I think the next time I will make them, I will try it out and see how it goes.
clint says
if you freeze them i would make extra meatballs and freeze after cook and cooled down or put them in sauce not on sub rolls .
sherry says
i’m sure you can freeze the meatballs in the red sauce. It wouldnt take that long to defrost, put on the bun, add some cheese, and pop in the oven.
meshay says
this was so easy
Sarah from NZ says
YUM – sadly our Mozzarella is pathetic here.. will have to attempt to make my own.
Thank you
Kate says
yummy yummy!
Abigail Peterson says
Mmmm, these look AMAZING! When are you going to cook for the Vegas Bloggers?! 😉
brandie says
LOL…thanks Abbie! That would be fun to cook for Vegas Bloggers. Maybe someday we’ll have a potluck?