My oldest daughter’s favorite meal has always been a meatball sub.
I don’t blame her, they are delicious. That said, they are also messy and I have 4 kids to clean up after. So over the years I discovered this vegan meatball sub bake makes them just as happy as a big messy sub does.
It also works great for feeding the extra gaggle of teens that are often at my house. They don’t even care that is vegan, and often go back for seconds.
If you don’t want to use Beyond Burgers, then use any plant based meatball you prefer. A little heads up though, my local Costco has started selling packs of 8 beyond burgers for around $14!! Less than $2 a burger. So even if I use 4, this meal is still far cheaper than eating out!
I LOVE making meatballs with thawed Beyond Burgers because they remind me the most of real meatball.
We top the meatballs with our perfect all purpose vegan cheese sauce, after letting it get extra thick and stretchy! It makes the perfect gooey mozzarella for this recipe. Lastly, we top it with buttery, toasty garlic bread! I’m telling y’all, this dish will more than likely be a hit with who tries it, vegan or non vegan! So forget trying to bite into a messy meatball sub, and turn it into this vegan meatball sub bake!
INGREDIENTS:
4 thawed Beyond Beef burgers, or a bag of your favorite frozen plant based meatballs
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 flax egg
1 loaf french bread
1/2 batch All Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce
1-2 tablespoons vegan butter
THE SAUCE: ( or use a favorite pre-made sauce)
1 onion, diced
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 small 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 red wine (optional)
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS:
Meatballs:
Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.
Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Sauce: (you can also easily use store bought sauce)
In a medium sized sauce pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil, and a teaspoon of salt, until onions are translucent.
Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.
The Casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Scoop sauce and meatballs into a 9x13 or large casserole dish.
Prepare cheese sauce according to directions, allowing it too cook until it is thick and stretchy.
Evenly top the meatballs with dollops of the cheese sauce,
Slice the french bread into 1/2- 1 inch thick slices and place evenly on top of the cheese sauce. Spread softened vegan butter over the bread. Sprinkle with garlic salt or any other seasoning you may like .
Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for around 20-25 minutes. You just want heat the casserole through and toast the bread.
Serves 4-6
If you like this recipe, try these:
Beyond Meatball Stuffed Challah
