Meatball Subs (5 Ingredients)

You can still throw these meatballs and sauce into the slow cooker in the morning and have them ready to go for dinner later in the evening. Just set these to cook on high for 2 hours (or low for 4 hours), then set your Crockpot so it switches to "Keep Warm" mode so these don't over cook. You can give them a gentle stir and bump the temp back up the high when you get home. Get unpacked from the day and then in about 15-20 minutes these will be nice and hot and ready to eat.

I have found Sam's Choice frozen meatballs taste a lot better than most other brands. Or I make homemade meatballs and freeze them. These best way to decide is to experiment and see what your family likes best. Taste testing is one of our family's favorite things to do for a little fun. We like to do blind taste tests and all vote on which we like best. So if you're bored, hey, there's an idea for ya.

Mozzarella is the classic cheese for meatball subs because it melts well and has a mild, creamy flavor. Provolone or Parmesan can also be added for extra flavor, or use a combo for the best texture and taste.

Rao’s Homemade Marinara is widely considered one of the best store-bought sauces for meatball subs thanks to its rich flavor and high-quality ingredients. I personally love it and that's what I use.

There's no right or wrong here except for maybe using plain sandwich bread. I am going to go ahead and say please don't do that. A bun would be preferable. A good bun, ideal.
I personally really enjoy fresh baked bakery buns because that yeast flavor they have, compliments the flavors of the meatballs and sauce really nicely. But sometimes they can be dry. So when I'm in the mood for something soft and more moist, then I'll opt for the artisan or sesame seed rolls. You do you and go with your favorite style bun.

If using the thick slices of fresh mozzarella, I'll lightly toast the cheese onto the roll before I add the meatballs. I do this by bringing the mozzarella cheese to room temperature and then toasting the bun open faced with cheese on one side in the toaster oven for just a couple minutes.
You can also skip toasting and just layer room temperature mozzarella cheese onto the bun then let the hot meatballs melt the cheese once you add them on top.

To make these subs more like finger food, all you have to do is change up the buns. You can use savory Hawaiian rolls, small buns, or any single-serving sized bun or roll you'd like. Simply add one meatball to each with some cheese and boom! You have DIY sliders.