Turkey Meatball Subs
with Italian side salad
Meatball subs are an ultimate comfort food. This version is a bit lighter than some thanks to the use of turkey meatballs which won't dry out when simmered in sauce. We serve these with a tangy Italian-style side salad for a restaurant meal made right in your home kitchen.
Ingredients
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Parsley, any fresh variety - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Eggs - 1
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Turkey, ground - 1 lb
- Panko breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup
- Sandwich rolls, Italian sub style - 4
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
- Tomatoes, diced (14 oz / 397 g) - 2 cans
- Onions, red - 1/2, thinly sliced
- Cheese, parmesan (opt) - 1/4 cup, grated
- Tomatoes, roma - 4, chopped
- Lettuce, romaine (sub butterhead) - 4 hearts, chopped
- Black olives, sliced (1 can = 2.25 oz / 63 g) - 1 can
- Mayonnaise (sub plain Greek yogurt) - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 2 tsp
- Oregano, dried - 1/4 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Garlic - Prep as directed. If prepping right before cooking, get sauce simmering (Make Step #1) before returning to do the rest of prep. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Parsley / Cheese - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Meatballs - In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg. Add parsley, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add turkey and breadcrumbs and stir until evenly combined (or mix with your hands). Form into 1” (2.5 cm) wide meatballs, about 4 to 5 meatballs per serving. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Tomatoes / Lettuce - Prep as directed. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Rinse and drain olives.
- Halve sandwich rolls (if not pre-sliced).
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Make
- Heat a large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add cooking oil, garlic and oregano and saute until fragrant, ~1 minute. Add tomatoes (including liquid) and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- If you would like a smoother sauce, blend with an immersion blender. Season with some salt and pepper. Add meatballs to sauce and gently spoon sauce over to coat. Return lid to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat until meatballs are cooked through, ~10 minutes.
- While meatballs simmer, whisk together mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Toss lettuce, olives, tomatoes and onions in dressing. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.
- Toast sandwich rolls.
- When meatballs are cooked through, spoon meatballs and sauce onto rolls (it will be messy, but that’s part of the fun!). Enjoy with salad on the side!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
44 reviews
Delicious! Based in other comments, I only used one can of tomatoes and added one jar of pizza sauce. I also simmered everything together for about 40 minutes instead of cooking on medium for 10. I also added Parmesan on top. I'll definitely make it again!
0 HelpfulI made a different side salad. It was ok - I think I would prefer to pan sear the meatballs before adding to the sauce for a browned crust on the meatballs.
0 HelpfulI added a little sugar to cut the acidity of the sauce. My picky eater thought these were delicious. He's never liked anything with ground meat before so you know this recipe is good!
0 HelpfulAs I was making this, the ingredients seemed so simple that I thought, "This isn't going to be good." I was so wrong! This was EXCELLENT!
0 HelpfulWe used ground pork because it's what we had on hand. We also added cheese. Overall, good, easy meal. Comfort food, for sure!
0 Helpful