Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Posted in Recipes on 10.05.2021

BBQ Meatball Sub Sandwiches - Easy and Vegan!

prep: 15 mins / cook: 40 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 55 mins / quantity: 18 meatballs Print recipe?

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com
Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite!

I was watching Bosh the other day in their Facebook stories where they’d been encouraged by their followers to try the new Burger King Vegan Royal.  Their overall impression of it was that it was pretty good taste and texture and great to see more and more companies catering to vegan fast food needs.  But that’s what it is.  Fast food, still better for health and morals than a regular burger but still loaded with fat and salt.  And doesn’t taste as good as anything you can make at home.  Like BBQ meatball sub sandwiches.

The inspiration …

Mine were inspired by Phil and I trying the Subway meatball marinara sandwiches a couple of weeks ago. They too weren’t bad and when time and/or energy isn’t on your side, being able to get something quick, vegan and pretty tasty is still a win.  And streets ahead of where vegan food availability was even just a couple of years ago.

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

These BBQ meatball subs are SO good they’re in our regular weekly meal rotation.  Do you meal plan?  I’m a painstaking planner or everything.  Do you work better with boundaries or are you more of a free styler?  I’d love to be more spontaneous but with cooking so many different things for the website every week I try and plan them into our meals so we don’t have a tonne of food for no reason!  Especially as there are only the two of us to eat it these days.  This completely falls over when it comes to cake though.  It still gets eaten, usually quicker than it probably should.

How to make easy vegan meatballs:

Put all the meatball ingredients into a food processor.  You could do this part by hand using a potato masher if you don’t have a food processor.  They may be slightly more chunky in texture but that’s probably not a bad thing at all!  Blend or mash until well mixed.

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Divide the mixture into little balls.  This meatball recipe makes 18 regular sized balls.  If you make them smaller or larger the only difference is they may need a little less or a little more cooking time.

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com
Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Bake these for around 30 minutes.  They should be firm, lightly golden and crisp on the outside.

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

While they’re baking, make the tomato sauce.  Heat the oil in a saucepan until sizzling then stir in the flour.  Then whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients until the sauce is thick and smooth.  Because we’re coating the meatballs once they’re inside the rolls you don’t want the sauce too thin.  If you think it’s too thick add a little water (in small amounts at a time) until you have the desired consistency.  You want it thick but runny so that it coats the meatballs rather than runs off all over the tray.  These BBQ meatball sub sandwiches are messy enough to eat as it is!

Split the sub rolls across the top without cutting all the way through.  Nestle in the cooked meatballs.  I used hot dog rolls and 3 BBQ meatballs per roll.

Spoon the sauce over the meatballs, coating them well.  It will seem like there’s too much sauce but it’s worth spending an extra minute making sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies between the meatballs.

Sprinkle some grated vegan cheese over the top of each roll.  Bake for a further 10 minutes until the bread rolls are just crispy and the cheese has started to melt.

All the components can also be made in advance.  Simply keep the raw meatball mixture (or pre-rolled balls) and sauce in the fridge.

The BBQ meatballs are lightly herbed, delicately spiced but so utterly full of flavour.  The tomato sauce is thick, rich and coats the meatballs perfectly.  These ARE a little messy to eat though.  But so worth the tomatoey chin and fingers at the end!

Crusty rolls stuffed with BBQ meatballs, smothered in a tangy homemade tomato sauce and topped with vegan cheese for a family favourite! #veganbbq #vegansubs #veganrecipes #veganmeatballs #meatfree #plantbased #meatlessmeatballs | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Looking for more easy vegan meal ideas?  Try these:

Instant Pot Vegetable Chow Mein with Crispy Onions

Chickpea and Potato Curry

Vegan Enchiladas with Lentils and Spinach

Creamy Lemon and Basil Pasta

I’d also love to hear from you if you make these BBQ Meatball Subs! Just leave a comment as it’s so helpful and I love to hear how the recipe worked out for you! Thank you so much!

Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube, Facebook or Pinterest for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!

BBQ Meatball Sub Sandwiches - Easy and Vegan!

prep: 15 mins / cook: 40 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 55 mins / quantity: 18 meatballs

Ingredients

BBQ Meatballs:

  • 1/4 cup (30g) oats
  • 1 can cooked chickpeas – drained
  • 1 + 1/2 tblsp ground flax seeds
  • 2 tblsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 cup (70g) BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 tsp mustard
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • good pinch each of salt and pepper

Tomato Sauce:

  • 2 tblsp olive oil
  • 2 tblsp plain flour
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) tomato passata
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tblsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • pinch each of salt and pepper

To serve:

  • 6 sub rolls
  • Vegan mozzarella – grated

Food processor

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 Fan / 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment or a silicon mat
  2. Put all the ingredients for the meatballs into the food processor (don't forget to drain the chickpeas first!)
  3. Whizz until everything is finely chopped and well mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary
  4. Divide the mixture into as many balls as you want to make. This mixture makes 18 regular sized meatballs. Roll the mixture in your palms to make the balls then place onto your prepared baking tray
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm and crisp
  6. While they're cooking make the tomato sauce - heat the oil in a saucepan until sizzling then stir in the flour
  7. Whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients until the sauce is thick and smooth
  8. Split the sub rolls across the top without cutting all the way through then nestle in the cooked meatballs
  9. Spoon over the tomato sauce, dividing it evenly amongst the rolls then sprinkle over the grated vegan cheese
  10. Bake for a further 10 minutes until the rolls are just crispy
  11. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Both the raw meatball mixture and cooked sauce can be kept in the fridge for a few days if making in advance or batch making
BBQ Meatball Sub Sandwiches - Easy and Vegan!

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Hello there!  I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure!  From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how.  I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)

I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.

All things autumn - warming soups, savoury bakes and delicious sweet treats!

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