Meatball sub casserole
Everything you love about a meatball sub baked in one dish, with toasty bread, a creamy garlic layer and bubbling mozzarella.
- 70 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $1.83 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 French bread
- 1 lb 8 oz frozen meatballs
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
From your pantry
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 550 calories, 26 g protein, 41 g carbs and 31 g fat, and costs about $1.83 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Cut the bread into ½-inch slices and lay them in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish, trimming to fit. 8 minutes, until lightly toasted.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 8 min
While the bread toasts, warm the meatballs in the marinara in a large over medium, covered, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until hot all the way through.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium heatTimer: 13 min 30 sec
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Stir the cream cheese with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder, and spread it over the toasted bread.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Dolly’s tip: Cold cream cheese tears the bread. Leave it on the counter while the oven heats, or microwave it 15 seconds.Spoon the meatballs and sauce over the bread and scatter the mozzarella on top.
uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 22 min 30 sec
Let it sit 5 minutes, then scoop onto plates.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
