> Skip to content

Recipe  •  18 April 2024

 

Marinara Meatball Sub

Meatballs, cooked in a rich marinara sauce, are topped with melted cheese and piled into crusty rolls in this easy air fryer recipe from Bored of Lunch.

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.

Feature Title

Bored of Lunch Healthy Air Fryer: 30 Minute Meals
Quick, easy and healthy air fryer recipes from instant bestselling sensation Bored of Lunch (710k TCM in UK and Ireland across book 1 and 2).
Read more

More features

See all recipes
Recipe
Chicken Fried Rice

As seen on This Morning, this flavour-packed air-fryer chicken fried rice from Bored of Lunch is a healthy alternative to a classic takeaway dish. Best of all, it will be on the table in just 30 minutes so it's ideal for busy weeknights.

Recipe
Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Prawn Cocktail Pitta

This ultra-speedy lunchtime dish packs crispy air fried pittas with a fresh sweet chilli mayo prawn cocktail.

Recipe
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Overnight oats + cake + air fryer = easy and tasty!

Recipe
Spicy tomato, tortellini and chilli soup

This vegetarian slow cooker spicy tomato tortellini and chilli soup from Bored of Lunch is an easy dish for cold days.

Recipe
Chilli con carne macaroni melt

This easy slow cooker recipe from Bored of Lunch combines chilli con carne with macaroni cheese for the very definition of healthy comfort food.

Recipe
Harissa chicken gyros

A stunning lunchtime chicken gyros.

Recipe
French toast bites

Tasty French toast, in bite-sized form.

Recipe
Fish tacos

Give your air fryer a whirl with this fish taco recipe.

Recipe
Creamy chicken, chorizo & sundried tomato pasta

The delicious pasta recipe from Nathan Anthony that's gone viral around the world.

Recipe
Garlic mac & cheese

A flavourful fuss-free favourite, perfect for lunches.

Recipe
Beef noodles with peanut sauce

Prepare your ingredients, and let the slow cooker do the rest!

Recipe
Irish stew with beef & Guinness

A one-step, full-flavour Irish stew.

Looking for more recipes?

See all recipes
penguin pop image
penguin pop image