The worst are meatball subs with buns that are sloppy and falling apart. For this recipe, we advise toasting our Tailgaters Brat Buns. All that meaty, sauce, and mozzarella goodness will be able to withstand the heavier, toasted bread.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 Ball Park® Tailgaters Brat Buns
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup arugula
- 4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped fresh basil or crushed red pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Toast one bun until golden brown, then place in blender and chop until fine to create crumbs.
- Place the bread crumbs in a large bowl and add milk. Let soak for 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef, eggs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the bread crumb mixture and combine well.
- Divide the mixture into 16 golf ball-sized meatballs, and place on an oiled baking pan.
- Bake meatballs in oven for 10 minutes.
- While meatballs are baking, heat marinara in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place the cooked meatballs in the marinara and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the remaining buns, then evenly distribute arugula or spinach, meatballs and mozzarella onto each bun.
- Garnish with chopped basil and/or crushed red pepper and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 768 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 75 g |
| Cholesterol | 143 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Sodium | 1363 mg |
| Sugars | 16 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Wow! My family LOVED this. I made two ways, as written with the addition of about 4 oz of maple sausage and also vegan. We used baby arugula on the sandwiches so not as bitter and peppery as full grown. For vegan I used Beyond Burger, Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute, soy milk and yeast nutrition powder (for the Parmesan substitute). My vegan went wild for it. Actually everyone went wild for it.
I made this and my girlfriend loved it. She insisted that i make it again soon, and i had no opportunity to eat any leftovers even though i was looking forward to some. I did not use arugula as some others suggested, and added spinach to the subs in its place. I was a little lenient on the amounts of cheese i used and was not exact. Be careful simmering the sauce, i had to end up covering the pan because the sauce boils easily and splashes out of the pan. Enjoy guys! I am making this recipe again tonight!!
this is one of the best subs i have in a long time , iused Emeril’s Marinara sauce , got the meatballs from walmart cooked the meat balls for 45min @375deg toasted the hoagie rolls lightly spreaded cheese meatballs sauce then broiled for couple mins awesome taste will make this again
7/30/19 I actually liked the arugula on this meatball sub, but I couldn’t see then adding chopped basil to the arugula. I did mix in the red pepper flakes to the marinara, rather than garnishing with it at the end, and then warmed the meatballs in the sauce. These buns hold together very, very well (no breaking apart as often can happen on a regular hot dog bun or even a hoagie roll). However, they’re big and thick, and unless toasted pretty well, can be doughy. Guess I made my meatballs a bit smaller because I ended up with three to a sub,. and that was plenty for me. Enjoyed!
My family did not care for this at all. The meatballs were okay very mushy and falling apart. They probably could have been browned longer in the oven. I would suggest omitting the milk when making them and adding some of the fresh parsley or basil to the mixture. We did not care for the arugula on the sandwich at all and they ended up taking the arugula off after the first bite. The fresh basil and parsley was very good. Sorry but I will not be making this again. The brat buns were nice but they cannot compare to the old fashion sandwich roll.
I made these and they were delicious. My entire family enjoyed them. Utilizing a bun for bread crumbs was genius. I only made two changes, per other reviews. We left off the arugula and I mixed the red pepper flakes into the sauce so that the flavor would cook in (and my youngest wouldn’t know.) It worked and everyone asked for it again!
I’m not gonna lie I was bit skeptical. The directions seemed a bit too simple for my taste. Boy oh boy was I wrong. With the first bite a sensational flavor hit my tongue. My teeth glided through the moist and tender meatball. I will forever be thankful for this recipe!
These are good, but the arugula has a rather peppery bite. I would suggest if greenery is desired to use spinach. I missed the part about toasting a bun and using it for breadcrumbs…oops… it worked anyways. I cooked the meatballs and sauce in my instant pot for 25 minutes on high pressure with a quick release. Tasty…good for a quick dinner or lunch.
These were very tasty moist meatballs. Simple to make for a weekday dinner. I left the arugula/spinach off since some of the family doesn’t like greens.