Meatball Sub (Beef & Chorizo, Provolone)
This meatball sub started as a 2022 Instagram reel, and the chorizo-spiked meatballs are why I still make it for a crowd. I mix ground beef with chorizo for a little extra kick, simmer the meatballs right in the tomato sauce so they soak up all that flavor, then pile them onto garlic-buttered sub bread with melty provolone. It's messy, it's hearty, and it's exactly the kind of thing I want when I'm feeding a crowd.
This one goes back to my reel days, and the beef-and-chorizo mix is still what makes it worth pulling up: a pound of ground beef keeps it eating like the classic, and the half pound of chorizo folded in is where these meatballs get their kick.
If you steal one thing here, make it the creamer-soaked bread. I work it into the meat just to add some more texture, and the meatballs come out better for it. Mix everything really well before it hits the skillet, then let the covered simmer in the sauce do the rest — about twenty minutes of cooking, and most of it happens under the lid.
Meatball SubThe recipe
Meatball Sub (Beef & Chorizo, Provolone)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb chorizo
- seasoning blend
- bread, soaked in creamer (binder for the meatballs)
- creamer (for soaking the bread)
- tomato sauce (fresh blend, or jarred like Ragu)
- garlic butter (for the sub bread)
- provolone cheese
- sub bread/rolls
How to Make It
- Add 1 lb ground beef to a bowl.
- Add 1/2 lb chorizo.
- Add the seasoning.
- Add the creamer-soaked bread.
- Mix everything together really well.
- Form the mixture into meatballs.
- Add the meatballs to a hot skillet.
- After 3 to 4 minutes, roll the meatballs over.
- As you flip them, add the tomato sauce.
- Cover with a lid and cook on medium for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Spread garlic butter on the sub bread.
- Add provolone on top of the bread.
- Toast the bread.
- Load the meatballs onto the toasted bread and serve.
Curtis's Tips
- I added some bread that was soaked in creamer to the meat mixture just to add some more texture.
- Make sure you mix that meat in there really good before it hits the skillet.
- I decided to go with a fresh blend of tomato sauce, but you can use Ragu — whichever you prefer.
- Keep the temp at medium once the lid goes on so the meatballs cook through in the sauce.
- Season it how you like — I go with a blend I keep on hand.
Why this works
The covered simmer is where this sandwich gets made. The meatballs get 3 to 4 minutes in a hot skillet, the sauce goes in right as they're rolled over, and the lid goes on at medium — so they finish cooking through in the sauce and soak up all that flavor on the way.
- Chorizo — mixed through the beef, the kick lives inside the meatball, not on top of it.
- Provolone on the bread — it toasts onto the garlic-buttered roll, so the sub starts from a melty base.
FAQ
What kind of creamer do you use for the soaked bread?
I don't call out a brand or an amount in the video — what matters is the job it does: the bread soaks in the creamer, then goes into the meat to add some more texture. Mix it all together really well before it hits the skillet.
Do I have to make the tomato sauce from scratch?
No. I went with a fresh blend, but I say it in the video — you can use Ragu, whichever you prefer. It goes in as you flip the meatballs, then the lid goes on so they finish cooking in it.
How long do the meatballs cook?
3 to 4 minutes in the hot skillet before they get rolled over, then 10 to 15 minutes covered once the sauce is in — keep the temp at medium so they cook through in the sauce.
What seasoning goes into the meatballs?
I keep a blend on hand and I don't spell it out here — season it how you like. Just remember there's half a pound of chorizo in the mix, so the meatballs start with a kick before your seasoning even lands.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 4 servings): ~1150 calories · 55 g protein · 73 g fat · 69 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
