These delicious vegan meatball subs are filled with tender lentil mushroom meatballs that are nestled in a toasted bun and topped with marinara sauce and melted vegan provolone cheese. This comfort food meal is kid-friendly, easy to make, and perfect for game day!
One of my favorite meals to make is spaghetti with savory lentil mushroom meatballs! The vegetable-based meatballs are easy to make in a food processor and contain a combination of cooked lentils, quinoa, mushrooms, and lots of herby dried seasonings that add so much flavor. I usually serve the meatballs with pasta on the first night and then I use the leftover meatballs to make these delicious meatless meatball subs the next night!
These vegan meatballs subs feature lentil meatballs tucked into a toasted bun and topped with jarred marinara (to keep it simple!) and melted dairy-free provolone cheese! It's a delicious combination that's perfect to make when you're in the mood for comfort food.
How to Make It - Step by Step Instructions
First, cook the lentils and quinoa until tender (Photo 1). Make the flax egg and put it in the fridge to thicken (Photo 2). Transfer the cooked lentils and quinoa to a large food processor cup along with the onions, mushrooms, oats, nutritional yeast, dried seasonings, and tomato paste. Blend until you have a thick and chunky mixture (Photos 3 & 4).
Next, use your hands to roll the lentil mushroom mixture into golfball-sized vegan meatballs and arrange them on a parchment-lined tray (Photos 5 & 6). Bake until they're firm and lightly browned.
Put three hot lentil meatballs on a warmed hoagie roll or hot dog bun, and top it with 2-3 tbsp of warm marinara sauce and slices of vegan cheese. You can put the meatball subs in the toaster oven or under the oven broiler to melt the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
These vegan meatball subs are a delicious comfort food meal that's best enjoyed warm and toasty. It would also be a great option to make for a big game day along with a side of crunchy kettle chips and creamy broccoli salad! Any of the following sides would be good with it too.
How Long Does It Last In The Refrigerator?
Put the leftover vegan meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge and they will stay fresh for 4-5 days. Store the meatballs separately from the marinara sauce, cheese, and rolls. You can bake the lentil meatballs in advance, but wait to assemble the meatless meatball subs until you're ready to eat.
Can I Freeze It?
The meatless meatballs can be frozen, but don't freeze a whole sub because it won't defrost well.
How To Reheat It
From the Freezer: Take the container out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Then you warm the lentil meatballs in the microwave or in the oven.
From the Fridge: You can warm the lentil mushroom meatballs in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through. Or you can reheat the meatballs on a tray in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Put the warmed meatballs on a toasted bun, top it with 2-3 spoonfuls of warm marinara sauce and 1-2 slices of cheese and then put it back into the oven or microwave to melt the cheese.
Substitutions & FAQ
- Lentil Meatball Substitutions: If you don't want to make homemade lentil meatballs, you can use a bag of frozen Gardein meatballs or break up a couple of Beyond Burgers roll them into meatballs instead.
- Marinara Sauce Substitution: Any red tomato-based sauce can be used, it doesn't need to necessarily need to be labeled marinara.
- What type of vegan cheese is best to use? I like to use slices of Violife provolone, Follow Your Heart pepper jack, or Chao creamy original.
- What toppings are good on a meatball sub? Homemade or jarred marinara sauce, slices of vegan cheese, and a sprinkle of parsley.
- Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free, you need to use gluten-free buns. The lentil meatballs are naturally gluten-free.
Success Tips
- Toast the roll before you load it up with lentil meatballs and toppings because you only need to pop the vegan meatball subs into the toaster oven for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese on top and that's not long enough to toast the roll.
- Use jarred marinara sauce to save prep time and keep this recipe really simple to make.
- Store the leftover lentil meatballs in an airtight container, separately from the other sub ingredients, in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Want More Vegan Meat Recipes?
Slow Cooker Vegan Pulled Pork Sliders
Vegan Meatball Marinara Subs
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Medium-Sized Sauce Pan
- Large Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 15 lentil mushroom meatballs
- 5 hoagie rolls or hot dog buns
- 25 oz jar marinara sauce
- 5 slices vegan provolone cheese cut in half diagonally (I like to use Violife provolone or Follow Your Heart pepper jack)
- ⅛ tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Assemble and bake the lentil meatballs.
- Toast the rolls, and then place 2-3 meatballs in the roll. Spoon 2-3 tbsp of marinara sauce over the meatballs and lay 1 slice of vegan cheese (cut in half diagonally) on top.
- Put the subs into the toaster oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Garnish with a sprinkle of dried parsley.
Notes
- Toast the roll before you load it up with lentil meatballs and toppings because you only need to pop the subs into the toaster oven for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese on top and that's not long enough to toast the roll.
- Use jarred marinara sauce to save prep time and keep this recipe really simple to make.
- Store the leftover lentil meatballs in an airtight container, separately from the other sub ingredients, in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
*This vegan meatball subs recipe was originally shared on 4/18/18, but I updated it on 9/9/20.
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