Classic Meatball Subs
Trattoria Salad with Creamy Italian Dressing & Croutons
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
- Soy
We’re channeling old-school vibes with this saucy meatball sub and salad that’s on your plate quicker than a trip to the Italian deli. Fully cooked beef meatballs are tossed with marinara sauce, sprinkled with melty mozzarella, and nestled into crusty baguettes. A crisp green salad with grape tomatoes and croutons makes it a meal.
Ingredients
1 unit
Croutons
(Contains: Wheat, Milk)
1 unit
Baby Lettuce
1 unit
Tomato Paste
½ unit
Onion
8 ounce
Fully Cooked Beef Meatballs
(Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1.5 ounce
Italian Dressing
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
1 teaspoon
Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
2 unit
Demi-Baguette
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
2.5 ounce
Marinara Sauce
Not included in your delivery
¼ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Drizzle oil in a hot medium pan. Add meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. TIP: While meatballs brown, move on to the next step!
• Wash and dry produce. • Finely dice half the onion (all for 4). Trim and discard root end from lettuce and thinly slice leaves. • Mix Italian dressing and mayonnaise in a small bowl. TIP: If the meatballs are still browning, assemble and plate the salad now!
• Lower heat under pan used for meatballs and drizzle with oil. Add diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2-3 minutes. • Whisk in 1⁄4 cup water, tomato paste, marinara, stock concentrate, oregano, garlic powder, and 1⁄4 tsp sugar (1⁄2 cup water and 1⁄2 tsp sugar for 4). • Add meatballs back to pan with sauce; stir to coat. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with lid and set aside to let cheese melt. TIP: While cheese melts, toast your bread!
• Halve and toast baguettes. • In a large bowl, toss lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons (crushing in the bag with your hands first) with as much dressing as you like. • Top bottom baguette halves with cheesy meatballs and sauce. Close subs and serve with salad.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the tasty sauce, though some found it bland or too oniony. Meatballs received mixed reviews on texture and taste.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to assemble, perfect for busy nights. Some struggled with difficult meatball packaging.
- Suggestions: Consider halving meatballs to prevent rolling out. Try toasting buns with garlic butter for extra flavor 🍞.
- Portions: A few found the bread too large; others wanted more sauce or veggies in the salad.
- Texture: Some felt the pre-made meatballs were dense or rubbery. Freshly made meatballs might improve the dish.
Reviews from our home cooks
Very tasty and fun to make with my tween. I liked having the salad on the side-it was a nice change from the usual heavier items like roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes. The meatballs were a little peppery though... not sure if the pepper was in the sauce or the meat themselves... we don't like pepper and don't add it ourselves.
This recipe was very fast to assemble. I air fried the meatballs and skipped dressing up the marinara to make it even faster, and everyone in my picky family ate it and finished the leftovers. The bread had a great texture.
I made this with my Dad so he knew how to toast the bread but for a non cooker like me it would have been nice to have this written out. We put it in the oven and added butter to get it crispy. I probably would have tried to put it in the toaster. I will definitely be getting this recipe again!
I really enjoyed this meal and want this meal to come back! I enjoyed having a salad on the side
Loved the sauce on the sub, fresh and not overpowering
It was good, I had leftovers and end up making spaghetti and meatballs which was also really good
I was expecting to make the meatballs myself from ground beef or pork. Instead it comes with eight shrink wrapped meatballs which took more time to open than the cooking did. Packaging needs some kind of release to open. The meatballs were dense and chewy, and tasted bland. The rolls were quite good though I recommend warming and lightly toasting them which is not included in the instructions. The sauce was delicious.
Super easy and quick.. meatballs would be better freshly made though. Sauce, bun, and salad were very good!
Meatballs easily fall out when you bite in. May try it again with breaking up the meat.
Good, but would recommend cutting the meatballs in half so they don't roll out
