mini meatball subs.
Moist and creamy ricotta meatballs simmered in a fire-roasted tomato sauce and stuffed into half-sized hoagie rolls make it easy to serve delicious meatball subs for a crowd.
Serves: 12 sandwiches Prep time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes
The best part about football season starting up? The food. In most cases, this means wings, pizza, and copious amounts of beer, but on special occasions (Bears vs. Packers is one such occasion) you might want to roll out the red carpet of appetizers. And what better to provide guests than comfort-food favorites made miniature?
Between sliders, pigs-in-blankets, and jalapeño poppers, there is one glaring white space in the world of mini foods: hoagies. When I saw the King’s Hawaiian package of mini hoagie rolls, I knew I needed to use them for something, and for awhile I figured it would be little lobster rolls (creative, I know). But somewhere along the way I got a craving for meatballs and realized.. what if that could be my hoagie appetizer?
I love a giant, moist, melt-in-your-mouth Italian meatball. And by giant, I mean enormous — a quarter pound, at least. I crave these often and have mostly mastered how to get them right, so I figured I’d try the same techniques and make them tiny, instead. Luckily, it still works.
The first key is using a lot of fat. Milk, egg, cheese. Ricotta is used here for creaminess, and it is perfect for really achieving that melty texture in both the ball and the sauce.
The second is the panade, which is bread (or breadcrumb) combined with milk. The panade prevents the meat from seizing up, meaning that the meatballs retain their moisture and most of their size. This is important when working with beef and, especially, pork.
Lastly is the cooking method. I bake mine first to drain off some of the grease, then add the par-cooked meatballs to a sauce to finish cooking. Yes, it’s a little time-consuming, but I promise this is far better than tossing them in sauce at the last minute. Simmer low and slow all day if you dare, and you’ll have the best meatballs ever.
where can I find mini hoagie rolls?
I used the King’s Hawaiian brand, which is a super-soft, semi-sweet bread that can be toasted or left as-is. These are usually found in a separate shelf with a handful of other King’s Hawaiian products. Not all stores sell these, so if you can’t find them, there are other options.
Check out the bakery section of your local store. Small baguettes, dinner rolls, or brioche hot dog buns will all work well here. Of course, look for small, 3-to-4 inch rolls for the “mini” effect. Crusty bread works well but isn’t necessary.
If that still doesn’t work, grab a baguette and split it into 3-inch sections. Voila -- mini rolls.
how can I make this ahead?
When I have guests over, I don’t necessarily want to have a long list of things to cook last-minute — don’t get me wrong, I like having something to do with my hands, but trying to cook with a house full of guests is how mistakes happen. Prepping is key to an effortless party and ensures you get to enjoy the food, too.
If you want to be completely prepped and ready before the day of serving, make the meatballs in entirety up to 3 or 4 days in advance. That means the sauce and ricotta, too — completely finish the meatballs, then simply put them back over the stove and simmer until warmed.
Don’t try to stuff the hoagies in advance. Do this right before serving or the bread will become soggy and wet (great for Italian beef, terrible for meatball subs). If you must speed up the process, toast the buns while the meatballs simmer.
If you are making this last-minute and don’t have time to make scratch meatballs, just use frozen. There’s no way to make frozen meatballs much better than they come, but I like to cook mine low and slow in the sauce to retain as much moisture as possible.
mini meatball sub ingredients
ricotta: Whole milk works best, the fats allow for more moisture in the meatball and thicken nicely into the sauce.
onion and garlic: I usually hate chunks of vegetables in my meatballs, but I do recommend them here for more flavor. Chop them as finely as possible for a good, smooth meatball, then cook until they almost look paste-like.
parsley, basil, oregano: You can swap for dried if you don’t have fresh, or use other herbs like marjoram, thyme, or even chives. Again, finely chopping these will produce the best results.
ground beef and pork: I love a beefy meatball, but I will concede that pork is necessary for a juicy, moist meatball. Almost every store I’ve been in has sold a beef and pork “meatloaf” pack that is premixed by the butcher. Sometimes this also contains veal. This is the most economical way to make mixed-meat meatballs. If your store doesn’t sell this mix, simply buy 3/4 pounds of beef and 3/4 pounds of pork (or as close as possible) and proceed as written. You can swap for turkey or chicken but the flavor won’t be quite as rich.
milk: The milk is to soften the breadcrumbs into a panade, which is a traditional element of Italian meatballs. This is how you get those melt-in-your-mouth type of meatballs. I’d recommend a whole or 2% milk.
breadcrumbs: You can make your own by toasting crusty bread, or you can use premade breadcrumbs. I recommend the seasoned ones, but plain works. Panko works in a pinch.
egg: The egg is the binding agent, so don’t leave it out. If the mixture is too wet after adding the egg, simply add more breadcrumb.
tomato sauce: I’m of the opinion that any jarred tomato sauce is at least fine, if not good, and can easily be made even better with something like herbed ricotta. I recommend a tomato-forward sauce here (not vodka or alfredo), but from there you are free to choose. You can even make it yourself either with tomato purée (which at that point, you may as well just use a jarred sauce), or with whole tomatoes. For something as fleeting as a sandwich appetizer, you may want to focus on the meatballs and let the sauce be as simple as possible.
hoagie rolls: Of course, the reason we are here. King’s Hawaiian sells a soft and mildly sweet hoagie pack that is as adorable as it is delicious, but if you want something with more crust, try looking for mini baguettes or small brioche dinner rolls in the bakery. You’d be surprised how many miniature hoagie options there are — they just aren’t often labelled as such.
This ricotta mixture is the key to flavorful meatballs and a creamy, gooey sauce.
The panade and sautéed onions should essentially look like a paste at this stage.
mini meatball sub pairing options
These are meant to be casual party appetizers, so I’ll be sharing ideas to round out the spread with similarly fun apps and mains. If you’re having these for dinner, there’s no better side than a good salad — and for that I recommend my kale caesar. Here are some party options:
If you frequently make meatballs, a cookie scoop will change your life. If you can, recruit someone to scoop while you smooth and roll each ball, and the process will only take mere minutes.
Why I bake my meatballs: Gets rid of the initial grease. Finish in the sauce for the best flavor and texture.
How the finished, saucy meatballs and ricotta should look prior to hoagie-ing.