Meatball Sub Casserole

Introduction

This Meatball Sub Casserole is a great way to use up leftover meatballs. It's easy to make and the best part is that it's ready in under 30 minutes!

Meatball Sub Casserole

How to Make Meatball Sub Casserole

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, dry onion soup mix and italian seasoning.
Roll into 1-inch balls (about 20).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes total cooking time per side or until meatballs are no longer pink inside when pierced with a fork (if you prefer them more well done than this step may be omitted).
Place uncooked spaghetti noodles into a 9x13 inch baking dish; top with browned meatballs as much as desired so that each layer has some meat on top of your pasta noodles!

How to make Meatball Sub Casserole

Prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs and form them into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use (see Notes).
Prepare spaghetti sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water to boil with basil and oregano; stir in oil, garlic powder and red pepper flakes (if desired) until fragrant but not browned—about 3 minutes or so. Stir in tomatoes with juice; reduce heat if needed so it simmers slowly but does not boil hard or break apart yet! Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or so until thickened slightly (it will still be fairly watery at this point). Season with salt & pepper as desired before serving alongside prepared meatballs!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 cups water, divided
1 envelope onion soup mix
Italian seasoning, to taste (I used about one teaspoon)

1 pound ground beef

Ground beef is a mixture of beef trimmings and fat. It's not the same as ground beef, but it's usually less expensive than its more expensive counterparts. If you want to save some money on your next meal, consider using this form of meat instead!

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Add the soup mix and stir to evenly coat the meatballs.

2 tablespoons italian seasoning

If you're going to make your own, use the following recipe:

1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
3 teaspoons salt

Mix together and store in an air-tight container. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise and toasted (I used a 1/2 pound loaf of french bread, sliced)

Place the hoagie rolls on a baking sheet. Lightly spray them with cooking spray and place in the oven until they're warm throughout, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except the cheese and peas. When you're ready to assemble your casserole spoon some of this mixture into each roll before topping with more mozzarella cheese and peas

1 jar (26 ounces) prepared spaghetti sauce (I used 30 oz of Prego Three Cheese Sauce)

You can use any kind of jar with chunks of meat in it. You could also use a jar with vegetables, or both vegetables and meat.

4 slices provolone cheese, or 6 slices mozzarella cheese (I used 1 8oz package of mozzarella cut in half horizontally)

To start, you’re going to want to use a nice hard cheese like provolone or Parmesan. I used 1 8oz package of mozzarella cut in half horizontally and then diced into small cubes.

Provolone is a much better choice for this recipe than mozzarella because it has more flavor and holds its shape better when baked! If you have time and want to make your own pizza dough from scratch, that would also work well here but it will take some extra time (and probably some help).

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is a hard, dry cow's milk cheese that's made in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It comes in different varieties and forms, but all have the same basic ingredients: cow's milk and salt. The most common variety of Parmesan is aged for at least 12 months while still fresh. This means that once it's been aged, it can't be eaten right away because it would become too salty or bitter after being stored for so long.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is another name for this type of cheese; however, if you want to know more about its origin story—and what makes this particular style so special—we recommend checking out our article on how to buy good Italian foods!

Directions

Prepare Meatballs
Prepare Sauce
Combine the sauce and cheese in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use, or refrigerate if you don't plan on serving right away (you can reheat it).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, add ground beef, soup and Italian seasoning. Mix together with your hands until well combined. Shape mixture into 1 inch meatballs and place in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon spaghetti sauce over meatballs. Top with Provolone or Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Serve on Hoagie Rolls or French Bread. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add ground beef, soup and Italian seasoning. Mix together with your hands until well combined. Shape mixture into 1 inch meatballs and place in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.* Spoon spaghetti sauce over meatballs.* Top with Provolone or Mozzarella cheese.* Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.* Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy this Meatball Sub Casserole as much as we do! It's super easy to make and tastes delicious. I like to use a combination of ground beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder (or minced garlic), bread crumbs, oregano leaves (or dried), salt and pepper in my recipe because it gives the meatballs some extra flavor while still keeping them healthy.