These Crockpot Meatball Subs effortlessly come together in the slow cooker for a flavorful, saucy, cheesy sandwich dinner that the whole family will love!
If you like this recipe, I think you'll also love Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs!
Hope y'all aren't tired of crockpot recipes yet, because I've got another slow cooker sensation to share with you today...Meatball Subs!
This week is going to be a busy one around these parts. Our baby girl is turning one on Thursday, so on top of our usual hectic schedule, I'll be in full party planning mode for the next few days.
ONE. I can hardly believe it. The past year has flown by. And to be perfectly honest, I'm already feeling like a big, sentimental sap at the thought of my baby no longer qualifying as a baby. Our family has been so blessed to have had this sweet little angel in our lives for almost a whole year now, and to say that we all adore her would be the understatement of the decade. Her big brothers absolutely dote on her, she has her daddy utterly and indescribably wrapped around her chubby little finger, and I think my sweet, ever-present companion is pretty much perfect. I just can't believe that her baby days are already about to be behind us...slow down, time!
However, instead of talking about what a sappy mushball I am, let's focus on meatballs, shall we? With a big, pink birthday party to prepare for this week, I won't have much time to devote to making dinners. But that doesn't mean I want to fall back on take-out. Instead, my trusty slow cooker will be earning its keep once again with these yummy Crockpot Meatball Subs!
This recipe is always a hit with every member of my family, from small to tall. After all, who doesn't love a good meatball sub? And this slow cooker version is truly effortless.
Just mix Italian breadcrumbs and a few other ingredients into a pound of ground beef, form your mixture into meatballs, toss them in the slow cooker with whatever pasta sauce you have handy (homemade or jarred sauce both work great), and forget about it for the rest of the day. When it's time for dinner, you'll have juicy meatballs and savory sauce to pile on rolls and top with gooey, melted cheese. A simple veggie and/or side salad round out this quick meal and dinner is served!
It's doesn't get any easier -- or tastier -- than that, folks. I hope these Crockpot Meatball Subs becomes a regular, popular part of your dinner rotation during those busy weeks that I know you have as well!
And one last thing...please send some positive vibes to me come Thursday, that I don't find myself crying sentimental tears in a sweet little someone's first ever cupcake. 😉
More Easy Sandwiches for Supper
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich Au Jus
- The BEST Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Shredded Beef Sandwiches
- Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Crockpot Meatball Subs
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (24-ounce) jar pasta sauce, OR 3 cups homemade pasta sauce
- 4 submarine/hoagie/Italian rolls (about 6 inches long each), toasted (if desired)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine ground beef with egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix with hands or a large spoon until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Form mixture into 12 meatballs, taking care not to make them too compact. Place meatballs in the bottom of slow cooker. Pour pasta sauce over meatballs, making sure that each one is completely covered.
- Cook on LOW for 6 hours or until the meatballs are cooked through. (Check sooner if your slow cooker runs hot, in which case the meatballs may cook faster and the sauce may start to darken around the edges.)
- To serve, halve each roll lengthwise, toast if desired, and place 3 meatballs inside. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. The hot meatballs should cause the cheese to melt, but if not, you may place sandwiches under the oven broiler for a minute to melt cheese completely. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using, and serve hot.
Notes
Adapted from Rival Crock Pot: 3 Books in 1
Nicole
I had no idea you could do meatballs in the crockpot. What a great idea! My family loved them.
Angela
These turned out great and perfectly cooked. I have never tried meatballs in the crockpot before but I definitely will again!
Jody
Hi Samantha! Recipe looks great! What do you think about adding a bit of red wine to the recipe? Would that work at all? I have a lot to use up (not much of a drinker!) Cheers!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Jody! I haven't tried adding red wine myself, but adding a little bit to the sauce probably wouldn't hurt anything (as long as you like the flavor of red wine). I just wouldn't add too much or it may thin it out too much. Enjoy! 🙂
Stacey Ann
I have a question! I am making these tomorrow but I am needing about 4x the recipe. My crock pot is big enough to hold this much, but I am scared that they will stick together. Should I do anything differently then just add quadruple the amount of ingredients?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Stacey Ann! I apologize that I didn't see your question sooner...I hope that multiplying this recipe worked out! I've never tried quadrupling it, but I have doubled it, and the meatballs turned out great and didn't stick together. If attempting 4 times this recipe, I'd probably try to make sure that I poured some sauce in between the meatball layers, and I'd watch the cooking time to make sure all of the meatballs got cooked through. I might even stir it once or twice throughout the cooking time, if I was home to do so. That being said, I'm curious to hear how this turned out for you!
Joanna E
Hi! I am Doubling this recipe and wondering if the raw meatballs will change shape or stick at all since they will be stacked in the crockpot? And can I trust that they will cook all the way through if they have six hours in the pot? Thanks!!
Samantha Skaggs
I just make sure there's a bit of sauce between any layers and the meatballs have been fine. If I'm home, I also try to gently stir halfway through the cooking time, though it's okay if you don't. As for the cooking time, newer model slow cookers typically run hotter than old ones, so that can affect the ultimate cooking time. But if you're not sure, you can always use a meat thermometer to test the internal temp of a meatball to make sure they're cooked through. Hope that helps! 🙂
Whitney S.
I've had this on the list to make for ages - and I finally did it! I made a few modifications based on what I had (a blogger's worst nightmare, I know!) I used ground pork, added a shredded zucchini, an extra 1/4 cup bread crumbs (for that added moisture) and used some homemade sauce I had in the freezer. My husband RAVED about it! The 1 year old loved it too!!! It also made about 2 dozen balls for me - I was able to freeze the ones that didn't fit in my crockpot. Win-win!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Ha ha, Whitney...you made me laugh with "a blogger's worst nightmare." 😉 The only time a bunch of substitutions are a blogger's worst nightmare is when the commenter then complains that the recipe turned out terrible -- ha! Your adaptation sounds great, though, and I'm so glad that it was a hit. I might just have to try your modifications sometime... 😉
KO
This turned out wonderful. so good.
Cat
These were so yummy!
Audrey Fraijo
HI there-
Just made these tonight. They came out great for the most part, but a bit of my sauce burned. I cooked them on low for 7 hours... Any thoughts on how to avoid burning? My husband ate them up, but would like to have had a little more sauce for the rolls.
Thanks!
Audrey
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi, Audrey! I'm glad y'all enjoyed these meatballs, but I'm sorry to hear that your sauce burned a bit around the edges. I think it's probably a matter of how hot your crock pot runs. I have two crock pots, and one of them runs much hotter than the other when they're both set at the same low setting. So if I make this recipe in one crock pot, it turns out fine...but in the other, the sauce does turn a bit dark around the edges like you're describing. When this has happened, I just scooped the sauce out of the center of the pot to avoid the burned edges. And you can always add more sauce to begin with if you like a saucier sandwich (and to compensate for possibly losing a bit around the edges). I wonder if it could also be a factor of how much sugar your spaghetti sauce contains, since sugar is more prone to burning? If you happen to be home, you can also stir your meatballs a couple of times over the course of the day. Wait until it's been cooking for a couple of hours, and you don't want to take off the lid for longer than necessary, but occasional stirring should keep the sauce from sticking to the sides and burning.
I hope this helps at least a little! I've never had a major problem with the sauce burning in this recipe, but I can see how it would be possible. I hope you're able to avoid it or remedy it if you try these meatballs again!
Thanks so much for the question...hope you have a great weekend!
Emily
These were so tasty! And easy to make in the crockpot to boot! Love it! Thank you for sharing!
Maureen
If I made the meatballs from stracch do I need to freeze them add them into the crock pot after I've already cooked them in the oven? Or do I put them in the crock pot uncooked??Thanks!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Maureen! This recipe calls for putting the meatballs into the crock pot raw, after which they cook in the spaghetti sauce over the course of the day. If your meatballs are already precooked, there's no need to cook them in the crock pot again...you could just heat them with the sauce for an hour or so until hot. Hope that helps!
Vague
These look good. I've tried to do meatballs in the crock pot before...but they turn into Sloppy Joe's! How do you keep them in meatball shape or has that not been a problem?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I've actually never had a problem with these falling apart. They are perfectly firm meatballs when they're all done. I'm not sure what ingredients you've included in your meatballs before, but I think that egg and bread crumbs help bind everything together in these. I form the meat mixture into meatballs, packing them tight enough to hold together but not so tight that they become too dense. Then I lay them in the crock pot, pour the sauce on top, and don't mess with them. If I decide to carefully stir them at some point, it's towards the end of the cooking time when they're already cooked and they hold together fine. I hope this helps and I hope that these work for you if you end up trying them! Thanks so much for your question... 🙂
Heather
oh my goodness, my kids LOVED these meatball subs. I had no idea you could make them in a slow cooker...what a great idea!
Shannah
These were great. I love cooking meatballs in the crockpot for subs when we have football parties!
Lisa
These were delicious! I never thought to make meatball sandwiches, and I have no idea why? 🙂 But they were so simple and everybody loved them.