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Meatball Sub Casserole (+Video)

Meatball Sub Casserole is a super easy casserole dish that tastes like a meatball sub but in casserole form. So good and a family favorite!

A FAMILY-FRIENDLY DINNER RECIPE

Raise your hand if you love meatball subs? Now how would you like to take all those flavors you love about a meatball sub and turn it into a casserole? Well, here ya go folks. This was the best tasting casserole I have had in a while. Not only was it super easy to make but the flavors blended so well together.

overhead photo of a slice of meatball sub casserole on a round white plate with a casserole dish in the background.

TIPS FOR MAKING MEATBALL SUB CASSEROLE:

  • Homemade meatballs can be used in this dish; however, you want them to be fully cooked before adding them to this dish. This is a family friendly meal and using the pre-made meatballs really makes this quick to make.
  • I would definitely serve this with a salad. Perhaps a big, green salad full of veggies and maybe topped with my Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing And for dessert, how about some No-Bake Strawberry Tiramisu?
  • For a softer casserole, don’t toast the bread first. For a more firm casserole, toast the french bread slices first.
  • For a twist, try using garlic Texas toast rather than the Italian bread.
slice of meatball sub casserole on a plate with some fresh parsley shown in the background.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • Italian bread
  • cream cheese
  • mayonnaise
  • Italian seasoning
  • pepper
  • shredded mozzarella cheese
  • frozen meatballs
  • pasta sauce
Italian bread, spaghetti sauce, frozen meatballs, mozzarella, cream cheese, mayo, Italian seasoning.

HOW TO MAKE MEATBALL SUB CASSEROLE:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Arrange bread slices in a single layer in an ungreased 9×13-inch baking dish. Just fill in any gaps with smaller bits of bread. I did have a couple slices of bread leftover since my loaf of Italian bread was pretty wide. I used those extra slices to make some garlic bread to serve with this. 

sliced French bread in the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings. Spread mixture over bread slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

cream cheese mixture spread on top of French bread with mozzarella cheese.

Gently mix together spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Spoon this mixture the over cheese layer.

marinara sauce and meatballs layered into a glass casserole dish.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled evenly over the meatball sub casserole layers.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

fully baked meatball sub casserole in a clear baking dish.

Serve with a salad.

a fork holding up a meatball in sauce.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: May 2012
Updated & Republished: January 2020

Meatball Sub Casserole recipe.

Meatball Sub Casserole (+Video)

Meatball Sub Casserole is a super easy casserole dish that tastes like a meatball sub but in casserole form. So good and a family favorite!
4.86 from 27 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Meatball Sub Casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 579kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
  • 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temerature
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
  • 1 bag frozen meatballs thawed
  • 28 ounce jar pasta sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
  • Arrange bread slices in a single layer in an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill in any gaps with pieces of bread.
  • In a bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings.
  • Spread mixture over bread slices.
  • Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Gently mix together spaghetti sauce and meatballs.
  • Spoon over cheese.
  • Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

Video

Notes

  • For a firmer bread base, I recommend toasting the bread first. You can place the dish into the oven (on the broiler setting) and toast both sides. It should only take a minute or two.
  • Note: frozen meatball packages come in varying sizes – anywhere from 18 ounces to 32 ounces. This recipe will accommodate most of those sizes. As long as you are grabbing a standard size bag and not a family size bag, it will work. 

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 1.7mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




304 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love this recipe! I have made it several times using the Texas toast! I skip the cream cheese and mayo, and just pile on the meatballs, sauce and cheese! It’s great for a quick weeknight meal!

  2. This is a question. Has anybody tried this with riced cauliflower instead of bread. Hubby is a low to 0 carb diet?

  3. With me being diabetic and so many people doing low carb…I think I’ll try this with my homemade low carb bread…the rest should work just fine…wonder what it would taste like with Alfredo instead of pasta sauce? Hubby can’t take the tomatoes!!!

  4. 5 stars
    I had a loaf of french bread so I used that instead. It came out great. I did toast the bread before hand. Very easy dinner just add a salad.

  5. 5 stars
    I took a chance and made two of these. One for my hubby and I, the other for our friend who just had a baby. Not a move I would usually make when trying a recipe for the first time.

    This was DELICIOUS. I had to improvise since my bread was moldy. I sliced up pieces of regular bread, then toasted them in a pan with butter and Italian seasoning. Since I didn’t have slices I was stumped as to how I was going to spread the cream cheese mixture. I microwaved it until soft, then added the mayo and seasoning. After mixing everything together in a medium size bowl I added the bread pieces then stirred to combine. It turned out wonderfully, so I’ll do that again next time.

    Great recipe and easy to change to taste (I didn’t, I thought it was great!)

  6. This is on your post for freeze & make ahead meals…. Where do you pause the cooking/prep to freeze?

  7. 5 stars
    My son loves meatball subs, and this was an easier version of that!! Delicious! I did toast the bread prior as mentioned…PERFECT! Thank you!!

  8. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe 3-4 times and my family loves it. This last time, I used a French bread that was thinner and crusty, so it came out less mushy and even more delicious with some extra crunch in it! I didn't toast the bread before either. Love this super easy and quick recipe that's easy to throw together when I get home from work. Thanks!

  9. 5 stars
    Great recipe! The bread I used ended up not being very good -maybe stale, I should’ve tested it before using. BUT, the next day I scooped off everything else and made meatball subs! Yum! Thanks for sharing!

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve gone through the comments looking to see if anyone has tried making this ahead of time and freezing it with any success. No luck. I’ve made it fresh a few times and was just wondering if it would work from frozen.

  11. Has anybody tried this with garlic toast at the bottom in place of the bread? OBVIOUSLY not good for you but I bet it would be good!

  12. 5 stars
    I was a little nervous but I went ahead and tried it.. Let me tell you I have a four (almost 5 in a week) year old boy who is so picky and only eats the meatballs out of his spaghetti, but loves French bread and hummus. He approves of this casserole. Even in the stage of putting the cream cheese, mayo and Italian seasoning over the bread I kept having to replace my toasted bread slices bc he kept taking them to eat himself and give his dad to try. He loves to Cook with me in the kitchen and had a blast being my taste tester. I am going to be one of those people wanting that cookbook! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!