Juicy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, loaded into a toasted roll and covered in melted provolone. No shortcuts here. We’ve gone high-fat beef for maximum flavour and soaked panko for a tender meatball that holds up in the sauce. This is a really good meatball sub!
Category
Lunch
Servings
4
Prep time
40 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Juicy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, loaded into a toasted roll and covered in melted provolone. No shortcuts here. I’ve gone high-fat beef for maximum flavour and soaked panko for a tender meatball that holds up in the sauce. For the sugo, we are using my mate Christian Petracca Nonna's sugo.
Ingredients
- 100g (3.5 oz) panko breadcrumbs
- 100ml (3.4 fl oz) milk
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1kg (2.2 lbs) minced beef (high fat, 80/20 minimum)
- ¼ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 brown onion, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed?
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 700ml tomato sugo
- pinch chilli flakes
- pinch dried oregano
- 4 Hoagie rolls (or soft long rolls)
- 50g butter, softened
- 200g (7 oz) provolone cheese, grated
Directions
Prep the meatballs
In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Season generously with salt and black pepper, then set aside for 5 minutes to soak.
- Stir mixture well, then add the beef mince, parsley, onion and 1 of the garlic cloves, finely chopped. Combine thoroughly, then shape the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs.
Cook Meatballs and Sauce
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the meatballs, turning carefully, until they are browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- To make the sauce, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until aromatic. Add the chilli, oregano and tomato sugo. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes.
- Return the meatballs to the pan, turning gently to coat in the sauce. Continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Finish and serve
Split the rolls in half, without slicing all the way through and butter the insides.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium high. Toast the insides of the rolls until golden and crisp.
- Spoon the meatballs onto the rolls along with a generous amount of sauce. Top with the grated cheese and allow to melt.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe notes
Cook support
A higher fat beef mince will help hold the meatballs together when cooking and result in a juicier meatball than using a lower fat mince.
Sourcing
Provolone cheese is available in slices or large rounds. Try to find the dolce Provolone, which is a softer, younger cheese, which will melt better than the aged Classico Provolone.
Substitutions
If you can’t find Provolone cheese, you can substitute with grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
Storage
Store the meatballs in their sauce in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Serving ideas
This is the simple and classic way to serve a meatball sub, but if you feel the need to add some vegetables then you can opt for a green salad on the side to round out the meal.
