• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
School Night Vegan
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • My Story
  • Contact
  • Cookbook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • My Story
  • Contact
  • Cookbook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • My Story
    • Contact
    • Cookbook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Dinners

    Vegan Meatball Sub Sandwiches

    Published: Apr 20, 2022 · Modified: Apr 20, 2022 by Richard Makin

    🌱 VG

    Publised on 20/04/2022. Last Updated on 20/04/2022 by Richard

    Jump to Recipe
    5 from 5 votes
    vegan meatball sub

    Better than store-bought vegan meatball sub sandwich with the best marinara sauce out there! Top with a little basil pesto and you're flying!


    Imagine hating vegan meatball sub sandwiches?? I'm genuinely finding it difficult to do, but it feels pretty bleak. The joy of these sandwiches is the ideal combo between crispy toasted sub rolls, meaty meatballs in a killer marinara sauce, melted cheese and fresh basil pesto!

    No, this isn't a subway "fakeaway", nor is this really anything like an authentic meatball sub, but these are the guys I make at home and they are truly satisfying in ways that only the soul can understand. You ready? LET'S GO!

    vegan meatball sub sandwiches

    There are three technical processes here, so you're learning and growing every way. You're gonna learn to make delicious meatballs (that's 1), stunning marinara sauce (that's 2) AND a gorgeous sub sandwich! You can use these skills separately or combine them like a power rangers megazord in this one extremely special recipe.

    Husband described this sandwich as "My favourite pasta dish but with bread instead of pasta" and that sounds about right. It's just as comforting as pasta but maybe slightly more portable - just slightly (take about 60 napkins though).

    vegan meatballs

    How do I make vegan meatball sub sandwiches!?

    As always, the FULL RECIPE is at the bottom of the page - scroll on down if you're in a hurry. If not, hey! Welcome! You're the best!! I'm gonna talk you through the process behind a perfect vegan meatball sub sandwiches right now!

    1. Start with the marinara sauce!

    marinara sauce

    I've included a recipe as part of this larger recipe, but if you're using store-bought marinara sauce, you can skip this step. Tomatoes take ages to cook down properly and undercooked tomato sauce tastes acidic and sad. Make sure you start with your marinara sauce to give it time to cook and mature properly. 

    Also, please, please use canned san marzano tomatoes if you can get hold of them. They're simply head and shoulders above the rest and will result in a way tastier final product. 

    2. Make the vegan meatballs!

    vegan meatball ingredients

    Let's talk about the mince (or "ground") in this vegan meatball sub sandwich. Not all vegan mince is created equal. For this recipe you'll need to fresh stuff which looks like the picture above. Brands like Beyond Meat, Impossible, Meatless Farm and Naturli all do varieties like this. It's crucial because it contains methyl cellulose which makes it soft and malleable when raw but form and meaty when cooked.

    You'll also notice I use breadcrumbs in this recipe. Contrary to popular belief this isn't to "pad out" the meat. It's all about creating meaty but LIGHT meatballs. The sourdough breadcrumbs add flavour too, plus I use a traditional Italian method where the breadcrumbs are soaked in milk (soy for us!) for extra MOISTNESS (cancel him!!).

    3. Form and fry your meatballs!

    vegan meatballs

    Forming meatballs should be done with a cookie scoop if possible. It prevents condensing the meatballs into tough little bullets by squeezing them too tightly with your massive monster/bear hands (great for hugs, bad for meatballs). 

    Once formed, we're going to fry off our meatballs. The more colour you can get on these bad boys the better. Nice and dark if possible!

    4. Add the marinara sauce!

    meatballs in marinara sauce

    Here's where the vegan meatball sub magic happens! We now simmer our meatballs in the marinara sauce for a few extra minutes. This helps to reduce the marinara sauce even further (making it more suitable for a sandwich rather than pasta) and it helps the meatballs to absorb more delicious flavour!

    This is a good time to do a sneaky taste test. If you've been seasoning along the way, you should be fine. If not, this is your last chance to add some salt and pepper to the sauce n balls!

    5. Assemble and toast!

    vegan meatball sub sandwich

    Finally you're going to assemble your sandwiches! You can use dedicated sub rolls or you can use big baguettes from the supermarket sliced into 4. It doesn't matter. As long as you're encasing these meatballs in nice white carbs then you're all good! 

    Top the meatballs with vegan cheese and whack them under the grill. Get everything nice and toasty melted before adding your vegan basil (or fresh basil leaves if you prever) and serving!

    And that's how to make vegan meatball subs!

    vegan meatball sub

    I'm screaming at the top of my lungs about how easy it is to make vegan meatball subs! Can we have a little power hug to communicate solidarity in this shared experience? 3, 2, 1, HUG!!!

    WANT MORE LUNCHES!?

    Why not try:

    Easy Creamy Vegan Pasta

    Vegan Bolognese

    Instant Vegan Mac and Cheese

    vegan meatball sub sandwiches

    Vegan Meatball Sub Sandwich

    Better than store-bought vegan meatball sub sandwich with the best marinara sauce out there! Top with a little basil pesto and you're flying!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5 sandwiches
    Calories: 712kcal
    Author: Richard Makin

    Equipment

    • 1 Large Frying Pan
    • grill/broiler

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 batch vegan meatballs or use store-bought vegan meatballs
    • 1 batch marinara sauce
    • 5 sub rolls or small baguettes
    • 10 slices vegan cheese make sure it's a melty kind
    • 10 tablespoon vegan pesto
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for around 5 minutes, swirling the pan often to make sure they brown on all sides.
      1 batch vegan meatballs, 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Once browned, reduce the heat and add the marinara sauce to the pan of meatballs. Bring to a simmer.
      1 batch marinara sauce
    • Split the sub rolls in half and toast briefly under the grill/broiler. Top one side of each roll with 4 meatballs and a little extra marinara sauce. Top the meatballs with two slices of vegan cheese and then place back under the grill/broiler for a few minutes until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.
      5 sub rolls, 10 slices vegan cheese
    • Spread some vegan basil pesto on the other side of the rolls then sandwich together and serve.
      10 tablespoon vegan pesto

    Video

    Notes

    1. This recipe only really works with fresh vegan mince (aka ground). TVP or frozen mince won't hold together and cook in the same way. Look for brands like Meatless Farm, Beyond Meat and Naturli. To get nerdy, you're looking for a mince containing methyl cellulose. This just means it'll be soft when raw and firm once cooked, like real meat.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 712kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 1970mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 778IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 17mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SchoolNightVegan or tag #schoolnightvegan!

    More Delicious Vegan Dinners

    • Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Soup (Coconut Free!)
    • Vegan Thai Drunken Noodles
      Easy Vegan Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
    • Vegan Crab Cakes
      Vegan Crab Cakes Recipe (Fried, Baked or Air Fried)
    • Vegan Fall Harvest Salad
      Vegan Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Kale

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. zidane

      August 01, 2022 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      very clear and good article easy to understand. Thank you

      Reply
    2. Bookkeeper

      May 04, 2022 at 3:34 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! The sauce was to die for and when everything came together, I loved the final product! Will definitely make again!

      Reply
    3. AL

      May 04, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      I made these for dinner and my family and I really enjoyed them! It’s saucy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. I did follow the recipe almost exactly! The only difference was in the meatballs. I didn’t have vegan mince and I’m not a fan of the store bought ones, so I used veggie crumbles from Boca and breadcrumbs along with some oatmeal to thicken it up to patty consistency. This will definitely get added to my rotation of sandwiches because it’s THAT good!

      Reply
    4. nana

      April 25, 2022 at 2:06 pm

      Sexy bacarat The most profitable baccarat game. Easy to play. Easy to get rich. Many people get rich from NANA's baccarat game. There are also other games. What are you waiting for? Let's go. If you want to be rich, let's start.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to
    School Night Vegan

    Hey, my name is Richard Makin and I’m the guy behind School Night Vegan.

    I’m also the recipe developer, food stylist, photographer and author of best-selling cook book Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan. I’m also the host of food podcast Lunchbox Time Machine.

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • vegan chicken
      Vegan Chicken
    • vegan tiramisu
      Vegan Tiramisu
    • Vegan Whipped Cream
    • easy tofu marinades
      Easy Tofu Marinades
    Popular recipes
    Vegan Fall Recipes

    Featured on

    Footer

    ↑ Back to top
    • Privacy Policy
    • About

    • Contact
    • Subscribe

    Copyright © 2024 School Night Vegan

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.