I think I just fell in love with my slow cooker again. These slow cooker meatball subs are so incredibly tender, flavorful, and just all-around decadent thanks to that low and slow simmer in marinara sauce. It’s magical! And the best part is that this recipe makes a pretty big batch, so you can freeze half for later (use them in subs or on pasta)! Cook once, eat twice. 🙌
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A family favourite in our house! The kid commented on how it was so good and the meatballs were so soft and moist. I will definitely make again!
Gillian C.
While you don’t have to use a slow cooker to make these amazing homemade meatball subs, I’m telling you right now that you want to. That low and slow simmer in the sauce makes the most incredibly tender and flavorful meatballs you’ll ever eat. If you don’t have a slow cooker, follow the cooking instructions for my basic homemade meatballs, then pile them into your buns, top with cheese, and bake till the cheese is melted.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make meatball subs:
- Breadcrumbs: Help keep the meatballs moist and tender. Any kind of breadcrumbs will work, including Italian or Panko.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds salty and umami flavor to the meat.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper enhance the savory flavor of the meatballs.
- Eggs: Help bind the meatballs and keep them moist.
- Milk: Adds extra moisture to the meatballs. Any kind will work, including plant-based milk (although I recommend unsweetened).
- Meat: I like a combination of ground Italian sausage and 90%-lean ground beef. It keeps the meatballs from drying out.
- Marinara Sauce: I tested this recipe with the most basic, inexpensive, generic marinara sauce I could find at the grocery store to make sure they were still totally delicious even if you can’t spring for an expensive sauce. But feel free to use your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce for these meatballs. You’ll need 3 cups of sauce, in total.
- Buns: Look for sub or hoagie rolls to fit all those juicy meatballs.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Melts on top and makes these subs extra cheesy and creamy.
Freeze Half for Later!
This recipe makes about 24 hefty meatballs so if you use three meatballs per sub you’ll get 8 sandwiches. If that’s a little too much for your household to eat within a few days, go ahead and freeze half of the meatballs and sauce to use on pasta or more subs later! You can reheat the frozen sauce and meatballs in the microwave or in a saucepot over low heat.
P.S. We reheated the assembled meatball subs from the photos in the air fryer the next day and they were BOMB! We air-fried at 350°F for about five minutes for the most delicious leftovers ever.
Recipe Tips
- Take care not to overmix the meatball mixture. Overmixing will cause the meatballs to turn out dry and tough.
- The easiest way to evenly divide the meat mixture into meatballs is to divide it in half, then each half into quarters, and each quarter into eighths. This will give you 24 meatballs.
- Make sure to layer the meatballs and sauce as described in the recipe to ensure they cook through evenly.
- All slow cookers work a little bit differently, so I advise checking early and often the first time you make this recipe so that the meat doesn’t get overcooked. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
- I like to toast the buns to help prevent them from turning soggy too quickly.
Serving Suggestions
These hearty meatball subs are a lot to tuck into, but if you’re wanting something healthy to go with them, I like to add a side of sauteed green beans, oven roasted broccoli, or baked zucchini fries.
Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
Servings 8 subsIngredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs ($0.32)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ($0.88)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.02)
- 2 large eggs ($0.39)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.05)
- 1 lb. Italian sausage ($4.99)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (90% lean or higher) ($6.99)
- 1 24oz. jar marinara ($1.50)
Subs
- 8 buns or rolls ($3.50)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella ($0.62)
Instructions
- Lightly whisk two large eggs in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Add the Italian sausage and ground beef to a large bowl with the whisked egg, breadcrumb mixture, and milk Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Avoid overmixing the meat.
- Divide and shape the meat into 24 meatballs, about 3 Tbps each. The easiest way to do this is to first divide the meat mixture into four equal portions, then divide each of those in half to make eight equal portions. Finally, divide each of the 8 portions of meat into thirds and shape them into balls to make 24 meatballs.
- Place half of the meatballs in the bottom of a slow cooker in a single layer and cover with half of the marinara sauce. Add the rest of the meatballs then top with the remaining sauce.
- Cook the meatballs on high for three hours or low for six hours.
- After cooking, use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the meatballs has reached 165°F. Give the meatballs and sauce a good stir to remix the sauce (there will be some fat pooling on the surface).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the buns on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, then pile three meatballs into each bun. Spoon some of the extra sauce over each one. Top each sub with a little shredded cheese.
- Bake the meatball subs in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the buns are toasty. Enjoy hot!
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Equipment
Nutrition
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How to Make Slow Cooker Meatball Subs – Step by Step Photos
Lightly whisk two large eggs in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Pre-mixing these ingredients helps them incorporate more evenly into the meat without having to overmix the meat.
Add the whisked egg, breadcrumb mixture, ¼ cup milk, 1 lb. Italian sausage, and 1 lb. ground beef to a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together.
Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 meatballs. The easiest way to divide the mixture evenly is to first divide it into four equal portions. Divide each of those in half to make eight equal-sized pieces. Finally, divide each of the eight sections into three meatballs.
Add half of the meatballs to the slow cooker in a single layer, then cover with half of a 24oz. jar of marinara sauce. Add the rest of the meatballs in a second layer and pour the rest of the jar of sauce over top, making sure all the meatballs are covered in sauce.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for three hours or low for six hours.
After cooking, use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the meatballs has reached 165°F. You’ll see some fat pooling on the surface, but don’t worry, that deliciousness will be stirred right back into the sauce.
Stir the meatballs in the sauce to make sure everything is evenly combined. These meatballs can now be used in subs or even on a plate of pasta!
To make the meatball subs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place your buns on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Fill each bun with three meatballs and spoon some of the sauce over top.
Top each sub with a little shredded mozzarella.
Bake the meatball subs in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the buns are toasty.
Enjoy the meatballs hot! I garnished with chopped parsley for some color, but the parsley isn’t needed for flavor. :)
Hi there, I’ve got this in the crockpot right now for dinner tonight. Any suggestions for quick sides that would go well with these? Sometimes you list some ideas, but I don’t see any with this recipe. Would Mac’n cheese be good or anything more veggie forward be good?
Step 2 doesnt make sense. Bowl for egg, bowl for seasoning, add meat to a third bowl????? Then combine meat in its own bowl to two other separate bowls? re-read what you wrote and tell me it makes sense to someone making meatballs for the first time. It doesnt at all make sense so either youre a bot or you dont know how to write recipes
If you really want to avoid the dishes, you’re welcome to mix it all together in one bowl. However, I don’t really see why you think it doesn’t make sense. It’s much easier to incorporate eggs into a meatball mixture if they’re already whisked before adding. If you’re a seasoned cook, you could crack the eggs into the meat bowl and whisk them to the side, but that’s not something we’re going to suggest to someone who’s making meatballs for the first time. Same with the breadcrumb mixture – the point is that these ingredients are already mixed together before mixing with the meat. Similarly to how you would add ingredients when baking by mixing the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, and mixing them together to form a batter. Hope this helps! :)
How necessary is the italian sausage/pork in this recipe? I am not in America and don’t have access to italian specialities either from a deli or at my local grocers but I can substitute it with pork I would season myself, if it’s absolutely necessary to the final product. Aside from that, I am absolutely gunning to attempt this recipe.
Yes, buying ground pork and just adding extra of the seasonings would be fine! I would also add some fennel seed to give it that sausage flavor if you have any!
I didn’t have a slow cooker so I just used Beth’s other meatball recipe and they came out amazing! Will absolutely make again!
These slow cooker meatball subs are a game changer – hearty, flavorful, and perfect for satisfying cravings with minimal effort!
What a great recipe! I used your marinara recipe as well and it is a keeper. I have a good one already but this will be used as well. The meatballs were delicious. Great flavor, great size, and the leftovers were used in school lunches with rice.
These were delicious. I cooked meatballs in the oven as we were pressed for time and then I simmered the meatballs in the marinara and still turned out wonderful. I only used half the meatballs and put the rest in the freezer for another time. My husband and my son both devoured their meatball subs and said they were awesome.
I’ve made this twice now. The first time according to the recipe, and the second time I replaced the Italian sausage with plain ground pork (and upped the spices to compensate) because I don’t like the fennel flavor in Italian sausage. This is a really solid recipe!
The recipes I have gotten off budgetbytes are great
Cam I make the meatball the night before and put them in the crock pot with the sauce to cook the next morning?
Yes, that should work well. :)
Making this recipe, it smell so good…ill let you know how they turn out, and what the family thinks.
Amazing! Highly recommend this recipe :) I am looking forward to freezing and using on days that I need to get a quick supper on the table. Found this website about a week ago and it has changed my life! I love how easy the recipes are, they use simple ingredients, and they definitely do not lack on flavour. Thanks so much! Also- wanted to mention that I do not have a slow cooker so instead I made the marinara sauce (different recipe on this site) and the meatballs from this recipe (cooked in oven) and combined and simmered for one hour.
Made this for dinner tonight. Big winner!!
So yummy and easy. Quick question…does the calorie count include a bun/cheese, or just the meatballs/sauce? Thank you!
No worries! The estimated calorie count includes everything listed in the ingredients list on the recipe card, including the cheese and a whole wheat hot dog bun. ~ Marion :)
Here’s more info on how those numbers are calculated (using a widget called Spoontacular API): https://www.budgetbytes.com/nutrition-information-disclaimer/
Yumm! I didn’t catch the lower fat ground beef ingredient so I used regular 80/20. These are the best meatballs I’ve ever made! So convenient for a busy long day. I’ll use for spaghetti tonight and subs later. I’ll try to the lower fat beef next time.
Amazing! You literally have to restrain yourself from eating another sub! Husband & 9 years also called it a 5 meal 🌟
A family favourite in our house! The kid commented on how it was so good and the meatballs were so soft and moist. I will definitely make again!
I followed the recipe as written but subbed ground pork for the ground beef. I looked at other posts and decided to do the meatballs in the air fryer (12 minutes) to eliminate some of the grease. Then I added the meatballs to hot spaghetti sauce. I think the slow cooker would make a softer meatball, but it was a big win at my house. Oh, one other substitution: I used the little king’s hawaiian rolls to make meatball sliders! so easy!
Has anyone made this with impossible burger and sausage? My husband is vegetarian so I’m always on the hunt for recipes I can swap.
I haven’t done this particular recipe yet, but, from my experience, you could do this recipe with impossible burger or sausage, but not using the slow cooker. Even the best veggie meats I’ve found don’t hold up well to long cooking and lose their texture if left in too long especially if not pre-cooked. If it were me, I’d cook the impossible burger separately and then add at the end. You might have better luck with some of the veggie meats that are prepackaged as meatballs, though!
Wonderful. I made these and put them in the crockpot this morning. I was soooo tired and got home from some errands to the smell of an Italian sub shop in my house. It was delicious and better than take out. The only adjustment I made was to leave out the cheese. It didn’t cause any problems at all. Will be a regular repeat. Would also be great on pasta.
What kind of Italian sausage do you recommend?
Hunt’s is really affordable. But truly, most any brand will do! XOXO -Monti
HI Amy. My local HEB makes their own Italian sausage that comes in mild, sweet, and spicy. I just buy them on sale and pop them in my Food Saver to freeze for later. When I’m ready to use I simply thaw and remove the casings. The choice is really whatever you like. We like mild the best.
How necessary is the milk?
Your recipe is almost identical to the one I’ve used for decades, so of course it’s 5 stars!!! The only difference is that I use very finely minced fresh onion and garlic instead of the convenient and inexpensive powdered versions. I think it’s important to look for lower fat ground meat as you specify for this recipe–cooking the meatballs in sauce isn’t the place to use inexpensive ground beef which has at least twice as much fat as the 90% lean in this recipe. If higher fat beef was all I could find, I would oven cook or air fry the meatballs to render out much of the fat before placing in sauce–won’t be as meltingly tender as the slow cooker method but you won’t have to skim fat off the surface. I often make my own Italian style sausage from 90+% lean ground pork, too, although I’ve been very pleased with Aldi’s Italian sausage.
You forgot to put the marinara sauce in the ingredients :)