Marinara Meatball Sub

My order at a certain high street sandwich shop is pretty much always a foot-long meatball marinara sub, so I had to have a go at making my own using the air fryer. The result is this – meatballs cooked in a beautifully rich marinara sauce piled into a toasted bread roll and topped with oozing cheese.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10min
Cook Time: 20min

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

• 300g lean beef mince
• 300g lean pork mince
• 80g dried breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the marinara sauce:

• 400g good-quality passata
• 1 tbsp garlic purée
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

To serve:

• 4 sub rolls or 2 baguettes, halved
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 8 thin cheese slices

METHOD

1. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl, then form into about 12 meatballs using damp hands. Air-fry for 14–16 minutes.

2. While they are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the marinara sauce in a bowl. Add to the air fryer drawer for the final 4 minutes of the meatball cooking time.

3. If your air fryer has a second drawer, toast the bread rolls in it for 3 minutes. If you need to, you can just toast the breads under the grill.

4. Once everything is ready, fill each roll with the garnishes, meatballs and sauce topped with two slices of cheese.