Vegan Meatball Sub

4.88 from 8 votes

Bite into a vegan meatball sub made with lentil meatballs, tossed in a homemade oil-free marinara sauce, on a bed of spinach, and crunchy toasted bread. Add vegan parmesan cheese for added cheesy pleasure.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Sandwiches

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 157kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Lentil Meatball Recipe (option 1)

1 recipe lentil meatballs 3-4 meatballs per sandwich

Lentll Meatball Recipe with Vegetables (Option 2)

1 recipe lentil meatballs with vegetables

Oil-Free Homemade Marinara Sauce or marinara of choice

½ cups Marinara sauce recipe

Other ingredients

1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
Vegetable Broth
3 cups fresh spinach

Garnish

¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bread

Choose an oil-free sandwich bun, bread, or Italian loaf of bread. One whole-grain Italian loaf of bread makes 4-6 sandwiches.
Slice the loaf down the middle, cutting the bread in half lengthwise
Now, hollow out the bread by tearing the excess bread for the center of both sides, creating a well for the spinach and meatballs.
Save the bread for another recipe or discard.
Set the bread aside.

Preparing the vegan meatballs

Saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
Add a small amount of vegetable broth in the pan a the onions brown, caramelizing the onions.
Add the frozen vegan meatballs (12 meatballs)
Carefully brown the vegan meatballs in the caramelized onions.
Add a small amount of vegetable broth to prevent meatballs and onions from sticking as they brown.
Be gentle with the vegan meatballs as they brown, moving them with a spatula to brown all sides.
Now, add 1 ½ cups marinara sauce.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer, cooking, and gently moving the sauce's vegan meatballs.

Making the Vegan Meatball Sandwich

Place the bread pieces on a baking sheet.
Turn the broiler on to low heat.
Place bread in the oven for 3-5 minutes, checking to make sure bread does not burn.
Place each piece of toasted bread on a plate.
Add a cup of spinach to the center of the bread, filling the open section.
Next, add 3-4 meatballs and some marinara sauce.
Then, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

Notes

Prepare the meatballs in advance and freeze them for the best results.
Choose one of two vegan meatball recipes provided.
If you can't find oil-free bread crumbs, make your own. Toast your bread of choice, add it to a food processor and crumble it into bread crumbs.
If hollowing out the bread for these sandwiches, toast and use the inside of the bread as bread crumbs.
Use jarred marinara sauce instead of making your own for an easy time-saver.
Add extra veggies to the top of the meatball sub like red or green bell peppers, slivered onions, or diced tomatoes.
Add a little heat by adding sliced jalapenos.

Nutrition