Even though I live in South Florida, this recent cold snap has inched its way into our neck of the woods. As soon as chilly weather shows up, I break out the slow cooker and start making some good old-fashioned comfort food. Two of my favorite eats are Italian food and great sandwiches! Put them together and you’ve got one of the most perfect dishes ever… Slow Cooker Meatball Subs!
Slow Cooker Meatball Subs Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1-1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups Progresso Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
- 1- 28ounce can Hunt’s crushed tomatoes with basil
- 1 small can Hunt’s tomato paste
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper (more to taste)
- 1 package of Kraft shredded mozzarella
- 1 package of kaiser rolls
DIRECTIONS
- In your slow cooker, combine paste, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together ground chuck, egg, breadcrumbs, fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Combine well.
- Divide the meat mixture into 20-26 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs in the sauce mixture and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Put about three meatballs on each sub and ladle some of the sauce over the meatballs.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Broil for 3 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Cool for a minute or two and ENJOY!
Slow Cooker Meatball Subs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups Progresso Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
- 1- 28ounce can Hunt’s crushed tomatoes with basil
- 1 small can Hunt’s tomato paste
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper (more to taste)
- 1 package of Kraft shredded mozzarella
- 1 package of kaiser rolls
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, combine paste, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together ground chuck, egg, breadcrumbs, fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Combine well.
- Divide the meat mixture into 20-26 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs in the sauce mixture and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Put about three meatballs on each sub and ladle some of the sauce over the meatballs.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Broil for 3 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Cool for a minute or two and ENJOY!
I would buy Hunts 8oz sauce, there’s always a use for that!
I ” Suzy ” have always bought Hunts products.. They have the best flavor all most like home caned. Plus there is so many different uses for them in the kitchen. Meal Time.
I think I might buy buy FOUR Progresso products too.
I’ll buy some Pillsbury Refrigerated Breads too
I’m buying artichoke hearts!
I’d buy Progresso breadcrumbs to make this recipe. I love meatball subs and it’s what I always order at Subway. I really do need to make them at home – cheaper, more convenient, and probably better tasting.
cannollis
Yum! That looks so delicious! I would totally use Hunt’s tomato sauce with oregano,basil and garlic and make a Baked Eggplant Parmesan. I would use Pillsbury bread sticks and top it all with some Kraft’s parmesan cheese!
I might stock-up on Progresso beans
I would buy Hunt’s diced tomatoes.
I love the Progresso breadcrumbs and Hunt’s Tomato Sauce! I use them both weekly!
I would get Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth.
I might splurge on artichoke hearts!
I love Hunts Tomato Sauce as a base for my homemade sauce!
I really have to restock my tomato cans in my pantry; I’ll buy some Hunts.
I need to stock-up on Hunt’s Stewed Tomatoes, I always use them when I make pot roast in the slow cooker.
i would stock up on Prgresso Bread Crumbs!
My family loves Publix Italian Bread!
Oh I would pick up the Progresso Bread Crumbs, Hunt’s Tomatoes, and Tomato Sauce !!! We love Italian!
I’d buy Progresso breadcrumbs.
i would stock up on Mueller’s Spaghetti!
Made these over the weekend, delicious!!
I made this and followed the recipe but for some reason it just turned out way to soft and I think it was the bread crumbs that gave it a odd taste. Any suggestions?
Brown meatballs first.
How long did you leave them in the crockpot?
Just made this recipe! What I changed was I rolled the meatballs in the shredded mozzarella and then put them in the crockpot so they melt together
Good idea!! How many Sandwiches does this make?
Can I make the meatballs the night before and pop them in the crock pot the next morning?
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it up all the time.
To answer the question about being “too soft”, meatballs should be baked or fried before going into the sauce. I know some people do it this way, but my Italian noni would roll over in her grave. Bake on 400 until they’re brown (20-30 minutes) or fry them in olive oil until they’re crispy and then into the sauce. You could bake them and freeze them if time is an issue and just use them from the freezer to the crockpot. I also use Parmesan or Romano cheese in my meatballs to give them great flavor. good luck
I haven’t tried this just yet because I started cooking late but its in the fridge waiting to be warmed up ! I used ground turkey instead and added garlic and herb marinara sauce. I used the left over mixed meat to make Turkey burgers and it was AMAZING!! I can’t wait until we have them tomorrow for dinner great recipe !
I would brown the meatballs first to give them another depth of flavour.
We just has this for dinner and it was AMAZING !! I added some red pepper flakes to the meat and the sauce, forgot to buy parsley so I added a little extra Italian seasoning to the meat mixture and the sauce as well. I’ve never made meatballs before but I will for sure make these again. Thank you!
If I brown the meatballs first do they still need to cook in the crockpot for 4-6 hours?
No. An hour or two will be plenty of time. Enjoy!
I made this last week using ground sausage instead of chuck. It was TheBomb.com. Holy crap it was good. Thank you for posting this recipe!
I made these with aldi brand tomatos and paste I did brown the meatballs first, but soooo good!!!!
Can this recipe be cooked on high?
Yes. Just keep an eye on them.
What size crockpot would you use?
It was a 5 quart pot.
Where did yall purchase kaiser rolls. The ones i found are like hamburger buns but they say kaiser rolls on them. Im wondering how they will work as subs lol.
How many servings is this for?
I have to feed a fire station and those boys eat
Instead of breadcrumbs we use cheese it crackers! Comes out great!
I just made these for supper tonight & we loved it! It tastes just like Subway’s meatball subs! I did add a little bit of ketchup to the tomato sauce though.
I really don’t see why the meatballs are not browned in a cast iron skillet first. This eliminates a lot of needless grease plus the Browning of the meatballs adds a ton of flavor especially when you de glaze the pan and add that to your sauce.
We havent ate yet. Its been in the crock pot cooking all day. But next time deff gonna put like half if that of the olive oil. It looks sooo greasy.. Hopefully it still tastes great 🙂
How many calories are in it? Please I really am needing to know….
I can really only break it down by meatball, which is around 60-70 calories per
I just made this recipe and was overpowered by garlic to the point where me and my boyfriend couldn’t finish our sandwhiches. I might try making it again with much less garlic. I might also double the ingridients to make the sauce.
This does not need olive oil! I made this and it was way too oily but if you take that out. It’s absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for sharing
Great recipe, but what do you mean by “subs”?
Go to Cosco they have a big bag of I talion meatballs and I made it with marinara sauce and use the Poli sausage buns for meatball sandwiches that’s what we did and it taste delicious
Why is so much olive oil in this recipe? Is any olive oil needed at all? I have not tried the recipe yet as it’s still cooking, but looks very greasy!
I used that much olive oil only because I feel like it helps the flavor of the sauce. You could absolutely use less. It’s just my personal preference. If you feel like it ends up too greasy, next time cut it to maybe 2 tablespoons and cater it to what tastes good to you. I appreciate the feedback!
I’ve used this recipe as my base for party/crockpot meatballs for a couple years now. The beauty of it is that it allows for some freedom. I use beef, but I’ve tried it with meatloaf mix (pork, veal and beef) and they take WAYYYY longer to cook. You can also pretty much throw any tomato product in for the sauce and after cooking for hours it will taste good. It’s a great way to use up what I’ve got on hand. Great recipe, cook time is perfect, thanks!
This is my favorite meatball recipe!!!! I just got done making 63 meatballs that will be ready for Christmas Eve 2020 for my wife and teenage boys. My boys just came in from hunting and seen them in the crockpot and can’t wait to dig in. Thank you for this recipe, Daren Montoursville Pa
Can you double the recipe? And if so, does it need to cook longer?