Protein: 
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Origin: European, Italian
Method: Pizza Oven
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These wood fired meatball grinders are a quick and easy recipe to make in your wood fire oven or pizza oven like an Ooni. These sub style sandwiches are filled with tender flavorful meatballs and garlic butter spread and then topped with provolone cheese before being baked in a wood fire oven.
What are grinder sandwiches?
Grinders are a sub style sandwich popular in New England. While some say grinders are just a local term for a hoagie named after the dockworkers in New England or the sound the sandwich made when a person bit through the crunchy bread, in some areas the term grinder refers to a submarine style sandwich with a crunchier bread exterior that is often baked or served hot.
Making the Meatball Grinders in a Pizza Oven
To make these Italian meatball grinders you will need provolone cheese, parmesan cheese, your favorite meatball and marinara recipe, sandwich or sub rolls, and a homemade garlic butter.
We prefer to use provolone for this recipe, but you can substitute mozzarella or use a combination of the 2 cheeses.
Cook the meatballs and marinara
Prepare your favorite style meatball or use your favorite recipe. We like using a Sicilian style meatball or making a smaller version of our giant meatballs with marinara. Bake or fry the meatballs until browned, then simmer in your favorite marinara sauce, until the sauce is warm and the meatballs are cooked through..
Making the homemade Parmesan garlic butter
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the garlic butter. We prefer a tangy garlic butter with the addition of some Italian dressing, but you can use a more traditional garlic butter spread if desired. Combine all of the ingredients for the parmesan garlic spread in a bowl and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
If you have extra zesty parmesan-garlic butter, use it to make some Italian Style Garlic Parmesan Wings.
Preparing the pizza oven meatball grinder sandwiches
Once all of your ingredients are prepped, it is time to assemble your Italian Grinders. Start by cutting open the Italian bread or hoagie rolls lengthwise, then spread some of the garlic spread on the inside of the rolls.
Next, place some of the provolone cheese on both halves of the sandwich roll.
Finally, add about 3 meatballs to the hoagie along with some of the marinara. If desired, top with some additional mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese.
Leftover ground beef? Give some of these ground beef recipes a try:
- Grilled Cevapi: Balkan Style Sausages
- Dutch Oven Crumbly Burger: Maid Rite Style Loose Meat Sandwich
- Spicy Cheese Stuffed Smoked Meatloaf
- Smoked Beef and Lamb Gyros
- Stuffed Mexican Chorizo Burger
Cooking Grinders in your Pizza Oven
Making Pizza Oven Meatball Grinders in a wood fire oven like an Ooni is an easy and fun way to prepare these sub style sandwiches. The meatball grinders can be cooked directly on the pizza stone in your oven, but we find it is easiest to make the grinders on a cast iron pan like a fajita pan or Ooni sizzler pan. These allow you to more easily rotate the sandwich in the oven and prevents any melted cheese from dripping onto your stone.
Heat your Ooni or other pizza oven to about 400 degrees. Place the sandwich in the middle portion of the oven with the meatballs facing the flames. Cook until the cheese is melted, and the bread is slightly toasted and crusty of the outside. You will likely want to rotate the sandwich about every minute to ensure even cooking.
Remove the wood fire meatball subs from the pizza oven and sprinkle with a little Italian seasoning. Repeat this process with the rest of the Italian Meatball Grinders.
Be sure to check out some of our other Ooni recipes to make at home in your pizza oven:
- Wood Fire Pizza Dip
- Pizza Oven Sausage and Pepperoni Stromboli
- Ooni Apple Crisp Dessert Pizza
- Ooni Wood Plank Salmon
- Detroit Style Pizza on Your BBQ Grill
What to serve with meatball subs
Meatball subs and hoagies pair will with crispy French fries, chips, or a salad. Serve with an Italian beer or wine or a Blood Orange Bellini.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
📖 Recipe
Wood Fire Meatball Grinder
Equipment
- Cast Iron Fajita pan or Sizzler Pan
Ingredients
- 4 Italian Sandwich Rolls
- 12 Meatballs
- 32 Ounce Marinara Sauce
- 16 Slices Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese or combination
- ¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning to taste
Parmesan Garlic Butter
- 1 Stick Butter
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Salt
Instructions
- Soften the butter then mix all of the ingredients for the parmesan garlic butter together in a small bowl.
- Slice the Italian sandwich rolls in half lengthwise.
- Brown the meatballs and then cook to your liking. Add to a pan with the marinara and heat to a simmer.
- Spread some of the parmesan garlic spread on the sandwich roll, then place slices of provolone on the top and bottom of the roll.
- Top with 3 meatballs and some of the marinara sauce. If desired, top with additional mozzarella, provolone or parmesan cheese.
- Heat your Ooni or other pizza oven to 400 degrees. Place the meatball grinders on a fajita pan or Sizzler pan and cook place in the middle of the pizza oven. Cook until the cheese is melted, and the outside of the bread is crusty but not charred. You may need to rotate the sandwich about every minute to ensure even cooking.
- Remove from the wood fire oven and sprinkle with some Italian seasoning, to taste. Repeat with the additional meatball grinders.
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