Open-Faced Meatball Sub for a Crowd

Friends, I have the BEST food idea to kick off tailgating season.

Giant, open-faced meatball sub sandwiches that can be cut into wedges and served to a crowd! I can barely contain my excitement about this one.

There are so many reasons to love this recipe.

First, these can easily be prepped ahead and heated in the oven just before you want to serve, which really makes for the perfect entertaining or tailgating recipe.

Second, they’re hearty and delicious. There is so much incredible FLAVOR going on here. A little bit goes a long way!

Dan and I LOVE meatball subs (I get it from my father), but rarely, if ever, have I been able to eat a whole one. They’re always just so HUGE. And heavy. And I always feel incredibly gross afterwards. Haha. No human is meant to consume that much bread, meat, and cheese at once. I’m convinced.

So, I thought it would be fun to make a still-huge one but serve it open faced and family style – that way, everyone can have one piece or three pieces and get the experience of a meatball sub without the total gluttony.

And I’m not food shaming here – I LOVE this kind of food and I don’t feel guilty about indulging here and there. I’m just saying that from my personal experience, a full meatball sub is too much for me. I love this idea of making a big one to share with lots of people.

Is this an everyday meal? No. But is it a super fun one to share with friends and family? Heck yes.

This recipe starts with a batch of my classic meatballs. We actually only need a half batch, but I do recommend making the entire batch for enjoyment during the week. If you’re gonna take the time to make meatballs, GO FOR IT. Plus, there’s nothing more comforting than a sauced meatball warmed up. In fact, I usually double my recipe so we can have them for lunches or quick dinners all week long.

Once the meatballs are baked and ready, the sub sandwich part of things happens rather quickly.

First, we make garlic bread boats. Yes, boats. Halve a large loaf of crusty bread – I used ciabatta here – and hollow out some of the middle. We want to create a space for the meatballs to sit, so they aren’t rolling all over the place when you’re trying to eat this.

Crafting the perfect sub sandwich is an art form, I think.

Season that baby up with some butter, olive oil, garlic, and seasonings and toast it in the oven until golden and crisp. We want it to be able to hold up to all the meaty-cheesy stuffing. The bread is delicious enough to eat on its own, but that’s for another time. Resist the temptation!

Into the garlic bread boats goes some marinara, a layer of meatballs, more marinara, and then a hefty sprinkling of cheese. I love mozzarella and parmesan here, but you can mix in some provolone or pecorino – whatever your heart desires!

Then, the whole things gets baked until ooey-gooey, saucy magic happens.

I mean, it’s a thing of beauty.

All that’s left to do is to slice it up and arrange it on a platter or cutting board, and allow people to help themselves! I like to add some additional marinara on the side, as some people really love the saucy aspect of a meatball sub.

All that’s missing are some cold beers and a football game on the TV. Both those things will be remedied this weekend!

YUM.

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