Homemade Italian Pizza Oven Meatball Grinders

Last Updated on June 11, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein: ,

Origin: European, Italian

Method: Pizza Oven

Jump to Recipe

These wood fired meatball grinders are a quick and easy recipe to make in your wood fire oven or pizza oven like an Ooni or Gonzey. These hot Italian sub style sandwiches are filled with tender flavorful and tender meatballs and a 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 recipe and marinara recipe, sandwich or sub rolls, and a homemade garlic butter.

We prefer to use provolone for the homemade meatball subs, but you can substitute fresh mozzarella cheese or use a combination of the 2 cheeses.

We prefer to use a homemade marinara sauce for the Italian grinders but jarred marinara from the grocery store works well too.  Some of our favorites are Newman's Own, and Rao's. If you want to tweak the flavor profile of the meatball grinder subs considering adding a little fresh basil or other fresh herbs to the marinara or kick up the heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Cook the meatballs and marinara

Prepare your favorite style meatball or use your favorite recipe for homemade meatballs. We like using a Sicilian style meatball or making a smaller version of our giant meatballs with marinara. These meatball sandwiches are also the perfect recipe for using up those leftover meatballs. 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 and tender.  The meatballs should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 155 degrees.

Making the homemade Parmesan garlic butter

While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the garlic butter. We prefer a little extra flavor and prepare 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 with a sharp serrated knife, 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 Italian meatball subs. 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, Gonzey, or other pizza oven to about 400 degrees. Place the sandwich in the middle portion of the preheated 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.  We prefer to use a real wood fire in the pizza oven to add some great smoky flavor to complement the juicy meatballs, melted cheese and toasted bun.

Remove the wood fired Italian 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, Italian pasta salad or a salad. Serve with an Italian beer or wine or a Blood Orange Bellini.  This is a messy sandwich so be sure to have plenty of napkins available. 

A good meatball sub is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days.  Ther leftover meatball sandwiches are best reheated in a toaster oven or uncovered in a traditional oven at 350 degrees, until warmed back through.

Frequently Asked Questions

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