These Vegetarian Meatballs Subs with Vegetables are perfect for a quick and easy, minimal-ingredient vegetarian dinner that the entire family will enjoy. Serve with a side salad for a complete meal that can also be enjoyed for lunch. Busy nights call for easy dinners, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be as delicious as these Vegetarian Meatball Subs!
We try to always have a pack of vegetarian meatballs in the freezer for quick and easy dinners during the week. We make a lot of pasta and meatballs, but I’ve always loved a good meatball sub. These Vegetarian Meatball Subs with Vegetables are perfect for those nights when you want something easy and super delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Meatball Sub Recipe!
- It’s a minimal-ingredient recipe. You only need six main ingredients for this dinner, which is my kind of meal!
- Meatball subs are a family-friendly meal. Everyone loves a good Italian-inspired dish! You can even serve them deconstructed for your children, with the meatballs, cheese, and bread served separately.
- They are quick and easy to make. You just need to crisp up the meatballs (which is totally optional), cook your veggies, mix in the sauce, and assemble your subs.
Vegetarian Meatball Sub Recipe Ingredients
- Meatballs – I love the Gardein vegetarian meatballs, so I used those. They have a great taste and texture, and I like that they’re not too carb-heavy. You can use any kind of vegetarian meatballs you like, even homemade ones.
- Vegetables – I added zucchini, onion, red and green bell pepper, and garlic to this recipe. You can use any veggies you already have on hand, though. The goal is to bulk up the sauce a little bit and pack those veggies in!
- Marinara Sauce – I used a cheap jarred marinara sauce because I planned to spruce up the recipe with veggies, garlic, and seasonings. You can use any sauce you like. Rao’s Homemade sauce is a delicious option on the pricier side.
- Sub Buns – Any kind of sandwich or hotdog buns will work. You can even use regular, toasted sandwich bread if desired. I like to toast my buns a bit so they don’t get too soggy. You could also toast them with a little bit of garlic butter.
- Cheese – I used fresh mozzarella cheese to fancy things up a bit. But shredded mozzarella or another cheese of choice is good, too.
How To Make Easy Vegetarian Meatball Subs
- Completely thaw the meatballs; if you’re using frozen ones, thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter overnight so they’re ready to make for dinner in the evening.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. I like to start by browning the vegetarian meatballs. This step is totally optional, but I like them to have a little color and crispiness to the outside before I add them to the sauce.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, zucchini, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix everything together. Cook the veggies until softened and starting to brown, 7-10 minutes, and then add the garlic and dried oregano. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. I like my veggies to be pretty cooked and browned, but you can cook them to your desired doneness.
- Add the marinara sauce to the vegetables, mix together, then add the thawed/browned meatballs. Allow everything to cook together for a few minutes.
- Assemble your meatball subs. Place your sandwich buns on large baking sheet. You can toast them for a couple minutes before adding the toppings, or add them immediately. Toasting the buns first will help them not get soggy with the marinara sauce.
- I like to add a couple of spoonfuls of the veggie sauce to the bottom of the bun. Next, add about three meatballs and top with another couple of spoonfuls of the veggies and sauce. Top with a sprinkle of cheese, and place the meatball subs in the oven. Cook until the cheese is melted and the buns are crispy. Top with fresh parsley or basil, if desired, and enjoy!
Meatball Sub Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Are these meatballs subs vegan? I believe the vegetarian meatballs I used were also vegan, but this is not a vegan recipe. However, it can easily be made vegan by using vegan meatballs and vegan cheese.
- Can these meatball subs be made gluten-free? Yes, just make sure to use gluten-free veggie meatballs and gluten-free sandwich buns.
- How many subs does this recipe make? It really depends on how many meatballs you add to each sub. I put three meatballs in each sub and made four of them.
- Do these vegetarian meatball subs keep well as leftovers? The buns get a little soggy, but they can easily be heated back up in the oven to restore some of that crispiness.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section, and I will get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes?
Crispy Rolled Bean and Cheese Burritos
Gnocchi White Bean Bake with Broccoli
Vegetarian Chick’N Parmesan Sliders
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Vegetarian “Meatball” Subs with Vegetables
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Vegetarian Meatballs Subs with Vegetables are perfect for a quick and easy, minimal ingredient vegetarian dinner that the entire family will enjoy! Serve with a side salad for a complete meal that can also be enjoyed for lunch. Busy nights call for easy dinners, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to be delicious, like these Vegetarian Meatball Subs!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (12.7 oz) bag of prepared vegetarian meatballs, or about 12 homemade vegetarian meatballs, completely THAWED
- 2–3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium sized zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce, or pasta sauce
- 2–3 teaspoons crushed Calabrian chilis, if desired
- 4 sub sandwich buns
- 1 cup shredded, or fresh, mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley or basil for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- You will want the meatballs completely thawed though, so if you are using frozen ones, thaw them in the refrigerator, or on the counter, overnight so they are ready to go for dinner in the evening.
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. I like to start by browning the vegetarian meatballs. This step is totally optional, but I like them to have a little color and crispiness to the outside before I add them to the sauce.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, zucchini, red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix everything together. Cook veggies until softened, and starting to brown, 7-10 minutes, and then add in the garlic and dried oregano. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant. I like my veggies to be pretty cooked and browned, but you can cook them to your desired doneness.
- Add the marinara sauce to the vegetables, mix together and then add the thawed/browned meatballs. Allow everything to cook together for just a few minutes.
- Assemble your meatball subs. Place your sandwich buns on large baking sheet. You can toast them for a couple minutes before adding the toppings, or add them immediately. Toasting the buns first will help them not get soggy with the marinara sauce.
- I like to add a couple spoonfuls of the veggie sauce to the bottom of the bun, next add about three of the meatballs and top with another couple spoonfuls of the veggies and sauce. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and place meatball subs in the oven. Cook until cheese is melted and and buns are crispy, 7-10 minutes. Top with fresh parsley or basil, if desired and enjoy!
Notes
There might be some of the veggie sauce leftover, it just depends on how much you decided to put on each sub sandwich. Sauce can be reused with pasta or even on pizza.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
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