The Best Meatball Parm Hero (or Sub) (2024)

Hero vs. Sub vs. Grinder vs. Hoagie – What’s the Difference?

I believe Ella and Louis would say that it’s a simple matter of tomato, tomahto . . . and, I’ll add where you live.

Heroes, subs (a.k.a., submarine), grinders and hoagies are all sandwiches that are on some type of long roll (generally), as opposed to a “regular sandwich” where the ingredients are between two slices of bread. Most people use one term exclusively for a cold sandwich and another for a hot sandwich, but not always.

Sub seems to be the most widespread term across the US, while hoagie is very much a Philadelphia-metro area and Pennsylvania word. Hero is a New York City-metro area term, while grinder screams New England.

For what it’s worth, as a south (New) Jersey native, which is a suburb of Philadelphia, I grew up calling cold sandwiches on a long roll hoagies and hot sandwiches on a long roll subs, with the exception of the ubiquitous Philly cheesesteak, which had no modifier and was simply a cheesesteak. Having lived in New York City for a big chunk of my life, I also adopted the word hero.

As William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet so eloquently said, “What’s in a name?That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”

Ingredients for Meatball Parm Hero

What to Serve with Meatball Parm Hero

As this is a pretty hearty and filling sandwich, all a meatball parmigiano sub needs on the side is a light green salad or perhaps a small cup of vegetable soup to balance it out. If you’d like to pair it with something a bit more substantial, here are a few great options:

• Roasted Eggplant
• Tuscan Panzanella Salad
• Green Beans in Tomato Sauce
• Italian Green Beans with Potatoes
• Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
• Roasted Zucchini

Recipe Variations and Substitutions for Meatball Parm Hero

Meatball Parm Hero is a basic recipe with pretty great flavor and texture as is. Having said this, there are always a few substitutions or variations that we can make to it to change up the eating experience abit. Here are a few ideas:

• Change the Cheese: Taleggio, fontina fresh or smoked mozzarella, scamorza, sharp provolone and even a shmear of ricotta are all great options!
• Change the Meat: Use chicken cutlets or Italian sausage for a delicious chicken parmesan or sausage parm sub!
• Make It Spicy! Sprinkle a healthy dose of crushed red pepper flakes over the top before broiling.
• Skip the Bread and Add Pasta: Layer all the ingredients as per the recipe but skip the bread and use a small baking dish. (This can also be done on the stovetop in a small skillet, covered.) Then, pair the meatball parm with a simple pasta pomodoro or spaghetti aglio e olio.

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• 12 meatballs, about 2-ounces each (cooked weight; see Note.)
• 3-4 cups tomato sauce, either prepared or store-bought
• 4 6-8” long sub rolls or equivalent amount of Italian loaves (seeded or unseeded)
• 8 slices mild provolone cheese (about 6 ounces)
• ¼ cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella

• Prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Then, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the meatballs and sauce together until meatballs are heated through.

  (Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)

  12 meatballs,, 3-4 cups tomato sauce,

• Turn the broiler on high and arrange a rack at the top of the oven.

• Slice the rolls or loaves ¾ open and place on a parchment-line sheet pan. If using loaves, slice them in half or thirds to portion.

  4 6-8” long sub rolls

• Place two slices provolone cheese on the roll to cover as much as the roll as possible. Break up the slices of provolone, if necessary. (The provolone will help keep the sauce from making the bread too soggy.)

  8 slices mild provolone cheese

• Then, spoon some sauce on the provolone cheese.

• Next, place 3 meatballs with sauce on each roll. (Use more or less meatballs depending on the size of each roll. Cut the meatballs in half if they are too large.)

• Sprinkle the meatballs with about 1 tablespoon grated cheese.

  ¼ cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

• Spoon a little more sauce over the grated cheese, then sprinkle about ⅓ heaping cup shredded mozzarella over the whole surface (about 2 ounces each). Finish with a bit more sauce over the mozzarella.

  8 ounces shredded mozzarella

• Place the sandwiches under the broiler and broil until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is toasty. This will take about 5 minutes or so. Pay close attention during this step and do not walk too far away as the sandwiches can go from perfect to burnt in seconds.

• Remove from the oven, transfer each sandwich to a plate with a large spatula. Serve with extra sauce, if desired. Buon Appetito!

• If the roll is very soft, put the sliced open roll in a 450°F oven for a couple minutes to toast it a bit.
• Heat the meatballs in sauce prior to building the sandwich to ensure that they are heated through, which will likely not happen in the short broiling time.
• The meatball size is just a suggestion. Use any size you want and then just cut them in half if they are too large for the sandwich.
• Use less sauce, if desired. I like my parm sandwiches saucy, but use as much or as little sauce as you would like.