Pizza Parlor Meatball Sandwiches
with Garlic Butter Buns & Oven Fries
- Milk
- Wheat
- Soy
Bring a comforting Italian-American staple to the dinner table with these sumptuously saucy, marvelously marinara-ey meatball sandwiches. They’re packed with rich, melty mozzarella and plated up with a side of crispy oven fries (because every great sandwich deserves a side of fries). What takes these beefy loaded sandos right over the top? A dose of liquid gold in the form of savory garlic butter brushed on those pillowy buns just before serving.
Ingredients
12 ounce
Potatoes
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
2 clove
Garlic
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
2 unit
Potato Buns
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
5 ounce
Marinara Sauce
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 4 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) to room temperature. Wash and dry produce. • Trim, peel, and cut potatoes into sticks (like fries—ours were 3 inches long and 1⁄3 inch thick). Peel and mince or grate garlic.
• Lightly oil a baking sheet. Toss potatoes on one side of sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper (spread out across entire sheet for 4 servings). Roast on top rack for 5 minutes (you’ll add more to the sheet then).
• Meanwhile, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, gently combine beef*, panko, half the garlic, 2 tsp Tuscan Heat Spice, ½ tsp salt, and pepper (4 tsp Tuscan Heat Spice and 1 tsp salt for 4 servings). (You’ll use the rest of the Tuscan Heat Spice in the next step.) Form into 6-8 meatballs (12-16 meatballs for 4). • Once potatoes have roasted 5 minutes, remove sheet from oven. Carefully place meatballs on opposite side of sheet (for 4, leave potatoes roasting; arrange meatballs on a second baking sheet and roast on middle rack). • Return to top rack and roast until potatoes are browned and tender and meatballs are browned and cooked through, 14-16 minutes.
• While meatballs roast, wash bowl used for beef mixture. When meatballs have 5 minutes left, combine marinara, remaining Tuscan Heat Spice, and a drizzle of olive oil in bowl used for beef. • Cover bowl with plastic wrap; microwave until warmed through, 30-60 seconds. Keep covered until ready to serve.
• Halve buns; toast until golden brown. • While buns toast, combine softened butter, remaining garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. TIP: If butter isn’t soft enough, transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 10-15 seconds.
• Transfer meatballs to bowl with sauce; toss until thoroughly coated. Fill bottom buns with saucy meatballs and sprinkle with mozzarella. TIP: For a good “cheese pull,” return open-faced sandwiches to oven until cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. • Close sandwiches and brush top buns with garlic butter. • Divide sandwiches and oven fries between plates and serve.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the tasty meatballs and garlic butter, though some found the sauce bland; consider adding extra herbs or spices to boost flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, but peeling tiny potatoes was challenging; some preferred forming patties instead of meatballs for easier eating.
- Suggestions: Use hoagie-style rolls instead of round buns to better contain meatballs; cook fries separately to avoid sogginess from meatball grease.
- Portions: Several wanted more sauce and cheese; potatoes were often too small for proper fries, so consider larger spuds or a different side.
- Texture: Toast buns well to prevent sogginess; some found meatballs dense or chewy, so be careful not to overmix.
Reviews from our home cooks
I really loved this meal. I liked the flavors and the kick of spice in the meatballs. The sauce was good and I really appreciated that there was enough so the sandwich was not dry. The cheese melted and made it taste good, and the garlic butter on top was so yummy. The oven fries were also quite tasty.
The meatballs and sauce were fantastic, but I think the oven fries could use a parboil first. It's a not too difficult step and it makes a lot of difference in giving the fries some dimension. I say this as a HUGE fan of Hello Fresh and what they provide, you've helped me learn how to cook these past couple of years, and I'm deeply appreciative.
The only thing that could have been better is there should have been more garlic butter because all the garlic butter was only enough for one of the hamburgers hamburger buns, not both. Unless you're just putting the tiniest amount. So the next time you guys offer this meal to your customers, I highly recommend doubling the amount of garlic butter. =) Absolutely delicious recipe other than that.
This was a very simple and delicious meal. The garlic butter on top of the bun was the cherry on top. The best part of it. I could have gone with another side dish with it as the potatoes were the most difficult part of this dish that didn't equate to anything more delicious.
Flavors were amazing, but I had to form the beef into patties instead of balls because they would not stay in the kind of bun these are. If you want the meatballs use a hogi style bun or something that keeps everything together better.
So good! The meatballs are filling! We popped the fries in the air fryer after they roasted in the oven to get more of a crunch!
So good!! I put my buns with the butter and mozzarella in the oven for 4 minutes.
Very yummy and different! Now I know how to make a meatball and how easy it is!
Sandwiches were delicious! The potatoes were too small to make true "fries" and they were a bit bland. Would recommend adding fry seasoning or rosemary.
There should be ketchup or another dipping sauce for the fries. Also the fries would do better if left in the oven for 40-45 minutes. I know HelloFresh suggests a shorter cooking time to speed up the meal, but this is not the correct way to do it.
