Air Fryer Meatball Subs are a straightforward, wholesome twist on the traditional. Made with selfmade meatballs, marinara, and cheese all tucked right into a roll for a fast, high-protein dinner your loved ones will love!
Meatball Subs
Air Fryer lovers, this Air Fryer Meatball Sub recipe is a game-changer for busy weeknights! Juicy selfmade meatballs (I used floor rooster, however you possibly can simply swap in turkey or beef), topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese, are tucked into heat rolls and crisped up within the air fryer for a more healthy, mess-free dinner. It’s a straightforward weeknight win and a lighter tackle the traditional meatball sub. For extra fast and scrumptious meal concepts, try my Dinner Concepts and Air Fryer Recipes collections—or seize much more recipes within the Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook and Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners.
Why This Works
My air fryer is at all times on my counter—it’s a weeknight sport changer for meals like this meatball sub. As an alternative of heating up the oven or making a multitude on the range, every part comes collectively quick with hardly any cleanup.
- Fast and Simple: No must preheat an enormous oven; the air fryer will get dinner performed in minutes.
- More healthy Twist: Utilizing lean floor rooster or turkey retains it gentle with out shedding taste.
- Full of protein: A wonderful supply of protein, making it superb for a high-protein weight loss program.
- Meal Prep Pleasant – Cook dinner the meatballs forward and simply reheat them within the air fryer when able to serve.
Components You’ll Want
Listed here are the components for these straightforward meatball subs within the air fryer (see recipe card under for actual measurements).
- 93% Lean Floor Rooster for a lightweight protein choice
- Binder: A big egg and breadcrumbs bind the meat combination collectively. Use plain or seasoned breadcrumbs, for those who’re gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Low-Sodium Rooster Broth provides moisture.
- Taste Parts: Contemporary parsley, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and garlic all improve the flavour.
- Salt and Black Pepper for seasoning
- Portuguese Rolls are small, oval-shaped rolls which might be delicate on the within and crusty on the skin, making them excellent for these meatball subs. Use gluten-free rolls if wanted.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favourite store-bought jarred or selfmade marinara sauce. If you wish to make your individual, strive my Contemporary Tomato Sauce or Fast Marinara Sauce.
- Cheese: Soften sliced or shredded mozzarella, provolone, or Muenster cheese on high of the sandwiches.
Methods to Make Meatball Subs within the Air Fryer
To get dinner on the desk even sooner, put together the meatballs the day earlier than and refrigerate them in an hermetic container till able to cook dinner. See the recipe card on the backside for printable instructions.
- Make the Meatballs by mixing all of the components in a bowl and shaping them into 16 meatballs.
- How Lengthy to Cook dinner Meatballs within the Air Fryer: Line the air fryer basket with perforated parchment paper to forestall them from sticking (plus, it makes cleanup a lot simpler!). Air fry the meatballs at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping them over midway by.
- Prep the Different Sandwich Parts: Heat the sauce on the range or microwave, then add the meatballs. Toast the sliced rolls within the air fryer to forestall them from getting soggy.
- Assemble the subs: Place 4 meatballs in every roll and high with cheese. Line the basket with foil or parchment to maintain it clear, then air fry the sub for a minute to soften the cheese.
Variations
- Strive Totally different Meats: You possibly can swap in lean floor beef or floor turkey.
- Brief on time? Make the meatballs forward, then assemble if you need to eat.
- Sneak in greens: Combine 1/2 cup of finely chopped spinach or grated zucchini into the meatball combination for further diet. You should definitely squeeze out the surplus liquid first to assist the meat maintain collectively.
- Swap the Herbs: Substitute parsley with basil, you can too use a teaspoon of dried herbs or Italian seasoning.
- Breadcrumb Choices: For those who solely have plain breadcrumbs, add half a teaspoon of dried oregano and onion powder. Panko can even work.
- No Pecorino? Substitute grated Parmesan.
- Add Spice: For those who like a little bit kick, sprinkle in some pink pepper flakes or use spicy marinara sauce.
- Swap up the Bread: For those who can’t discover Portuguese rolls, nearly another sort of roll will work, like ciabatta or hoagie rolls. You possibly can even use a sliced baguette or French bread.
No air fryer? No drawback!
- Bake the meatballs within the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Toast the bread straight on the oven rack or a sheet pan.
- Place the assembled meatball subs on a sheet pan and warmth within the oven till the cheese melts.
Storage
- Refrigerate meatballs and sauce in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. Retailer the bread and cheese in separate containers.
- Freeze the meatballs and sauce in a freezer-safe container for as much as 3 months.
- Thaw meatballs in a single day within the fridge or microwave them straight from frozen.
- Methods to Reheat: Microwave the meatballs and sauce till heated by. Toast the bread, assemble the subs, and heat within the oven or air fryer till the cheese melts.
Extra Simple Air Fryer Dinner Concepts You’ll Love
For extra dinner concepts made with the air fryer, try these 5 scrumptious air fryer recipes to encourage your subsequent meal!
For those who make this wholesome meatball sub recipe, I might like to see it. Tag me in your images or movies on Instagram, TikTok, or Fb! And you should definitely be part of the Skinnytaste Group to see what everybody’s cooking!
Yield: servings
Serving Dimension: 1 sub
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Make the meatballs: In a big bowl, combine floor rooster, breadcrumbs, rooster broth, parsley, Pecorino Romano, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper till simply mixed. Roll into 16 meatballs.
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Air fry the meatballs: Spray the basket with oil or use air fryer parchment (finest choice to keep away from sticking). Place meatballs in a single layer (cook dinner in batches if wanted). Air fry 400F 8–10 minutes, flipping midway, till golden and inside temp reaches 165°F.
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Warmth the sauce: Whereas the meatballs cook dinner, warmth up the marinara sauce in a small saucepan or microwave and toss with meatballs.
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Toast the rolls: In the meantime cut up the Portuguese rolls and flippantly toast within the air fryer for 1 minute.
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Assemble the subs: Add 4 meatballs with sauce, high with 1 slice of cheese, and return to the air fryer (place every on foil to keep away from spillage) and air fry for 1 minute till cheese melts.
Final Step:
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Serving: 1 sub, Energy: 494 kcal, Carbohydrates: 39 g, Protein: 41.5 g, Fats: 18.5 g, Saturated Fats: 6 g, Ldl cholesterol: 169 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g
