Meatball Sub and The Sandwich Shop

The Sandwich Shop: 50 Great Sandwich Recipes, written by Aisling Coughlan and Lucy Heaver, features a fun collection of sandwich recipes on individual cards in a compact box format. A few highlights include Haloumi Breakfast Baguette, Ultimate Salad Wrap, The New England Lobster Roll, Mac & Cheese with Jalapeños & Bacon, and Fried Chicken with Spicy Buttermilk Slaw. I will also be sharing their recipe for a Meatball Sub following the review.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Aisling Coughlan and Lucy Heaver

Aisling Coughlan and Lucy Heaver are writers and editors based in Melbourne, Australia. They love traveling the world together and trying new sandwiches.

The Sandwich Shop

Instead of the traditional book format, The Sandwich Shop comes in a rectangular 5.74 x 1.27 x 4.05 inch (14.5 x 3 x 10 centimeter) box. With the upcoming holidays, this small size makes it perfect as a stocking stuffer!

This box is filled with 50 cards, each with a different sandwich recipe. There is a range of options from flatbreads and wraps to bagels, multigrain bread, long bread rolls, and plain sandwich bread.

The cards are color-coded based on protein: Vegan & Veg, Poultry, Fish & Seafood, and Meat.

Each card has a photo of the finished sandwich on the front and the recipe on the back. Titles are written in English or the original language. Measurements are listed in Metric and US Customary.

Meatball Sub

All the sandwiches we have tried so far have been fantastic and the classic Meatball Sub was a particular favorite with the whole family.

This sandwich is filled with homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, and melted provolone cheese for quite the delicious lunch.

The longest part of the prep is assembling the meatballs. They have a combination of ground beef, ground pork (if avoiding pork, swap the amount for more beef- not lean), garlic, oregano, onion, a little cayenne, Parmesan, and an egg to bring everything together.

The mixture is divided into 8 individual balls, then they are pan-fried until golden on all sides and cooked through.

I have also tried cooking the meatballs in the air fryer and they work perfectly for a more hands off option. I set the air fryer to 400˚F (200˚C) and they were cooked through the center at around 12 minutes, turning once or twice.

The tomato sauce takes about 30 minutes to simmer until thickened, but it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.

After cooking the meatballs, arrange four in each roll. My rolls were smaller (the local grocery store was out of almost all the bread options around Thanksgiving), so I was only able to easily fit three.

Top off with the tomato sauce and a couple of provolone slices before broiling until melted and bubbly. If you want more sauce in each bite, you can also toss the meatballs in the sauce before arranging. My kids liked the recipe as written with adjusting the amount of tomato sauce as desired.

The Meatball Sub is best shortly after assembling and broiling.

More Sandwiches

I also made the Haloumi with Ajvar, Caprese with Balsamic Glaze, Raclette & Potato with a Pickle, and Chorizo & Prosciutto Bocadillos.

I happened to have some Ajvar in the pantry and it worked so well in the Haloumi with Ajvar sandwich. A poppyseed bagel is toasted, then buttered and covered with a layer of ajvar. It is topped with pan-fried haloumi slices, red onion, arugula, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The Caprese with Balsamic Glaze has all of my favorite flavors. A grilled ciabatta roll is filled with slices of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of a homemade balsamic glaze.

The Raclette & Potato with a Pickle brings together the flavors of Switzerland with a combination of tender potatoes and raclette. The sandwich is toasted until golden then finished with a dill pickle.

The Chorizo & Prosciutto Bocadillos are two sandwich varieties on one card! One crusty bread roll is filled with chorizo while the other is rubbed with tomato and has alternating slices of prosciutto and manchego cheese.

The Sandwich Shop is a fun pick for those interested in sandwich recipes in a different format. There is such a variety of flavors across the 50 recipes with a little something for everyone. Many come together in as little as 15 minutes while others involve a bit more prep.

Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American supermarkets. A few items that may require further searching include tahini, Lebanese flatbread, cardamom, pork pâté, bird’s eye chilies, daikon, black pudding, Peking duck, and cashew cheese.

Meatball Sub Recipe

Excerpt from The Sandwich Shop

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Meatball Sub

A recipe for a Meatball Sub from The Sandwich Shop! This sandwich is packed with homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, and melted cheese.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword beef, meat, meatball, pork, provolone, sandwich, tomato

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 150 grams (5 1/2 ounces) minced (ground) beef
• 150 grams (5 1/2 ounces) minced (ground) pork
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 50 grams (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan
• 1 small egg beaten

Assembly:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves sliced
• 400 grams (14 ounces) tinned crushed tomatoes
• 6-7 basil leaves sliced
• Pinch dried oregano
• 250 milliliters (1 cup) water
• 2 long bread rolls
• 4 slices provolone

Instructions

To make the meatballs:

• Mix all of the meatball ingredients except the egg in a large bowl. Season as desired with salt.
• Slowly add the beaten egg to bind the mixture (you may not need all of it- too much liquid will make the meatballs soggy).
• Shape the mixture into 8 balls.

To assemble:

• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic.
• Fry for a few seconds until just starting to brown, then add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and 250 milliliters (1 cup) water. Season to taste and stir well to combine.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thick.
• Heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan over medium heat and fry the meatballs, turning often, for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.
• Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
• Slice open the bread rolls and place on a foil-covered baking tray.
• Place 4 meatballs into each roll then cover with 1-2 large tablespoons of the tomato sauce.
• Place the cheese on top and grill for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.