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Turkey Meatball Sub

520 CAL  |  45G PROTEIN  (PER SUB)

Slow-cooker turkey meatballs on a toasted hoagie — 45 grams of protein a sub.

A classic meatball sub, rebuilt with lean 93/7 turkey. The meatballs cook low and slow in the crockpot so it’s basically hands-off — then you stack four on a Dave’s hoagie roll with mozzarella and parm and toast it till the cheese melts. 520 calories, 45 grams of protein a sub.

The Meatballs (Batch)

IngredientAmount
93/7 ground turkey3 lbs
Egg1
Breadcrumbs½ cup
Garlic powder1 tbsp
Onion powder1 tbsp
Onion, medium1
Parsley1 tsp
Pasta sauce — 1 jar to cook them in (use 2 jars if you want leftover sauce for pasta)1–2 jars
Parsley + Parmesan, to finishto taste

The Sub (Per Serving)

IngredientAmount
Dave’s hoagie roll — 220 cal / 11g protein1
Meatballs (from the batch above) — 200 cal / 24g protein4
Parmesan, sprinkled — 20 cal / 2g proteinto taste
Reduced-fat mozzarella — 80 cal / 8g protein¼ cup

Macros

ComponentCal / Protein
Dave’s hoagie roll220 · 11g
4 meatballs200 · 24g
Parmesan sprinkle20 · 2g
¼ cup reduced-fat mozzarella80 · 8g
Total (per sub)520 · 45g

How To Make It

  1. Mix the meatballs. Combine the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, onion, and parsley until everything’s evenly worked in.
  2. Scoop, don’t roll. Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to portion the balls. The turkey is extremely moist — don’t use your hands, the scoop is the move.
  3. Into the crockpot. Dump 1 jar of pasta sauce into the crockpot (2 jars if you want extra sauce left over for pasta), add the meatballs, and slow cook on low for 3–4 hours.
  4. Finish the batch. Top with a little parsley and Parmesan.
  5. Build the sub. On a Dave’s hoagie roll, add 4 meatballs, sprinkle Parmesan, and top with ¼ cup reduced-fat mozzarella.
  6. Toast it. Into the oven for 3–5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Neil's Note

Turkey mix is way wetter than beef — fight the urge to roll these by hand or you’ll end up with mush. A 1-inch cookie scoop gives you clean, even balls every time. And do the two-jar move: one jar cooks the meatballs, the second leaves you a batch of meatball sauce for pasta later in the week — same crockpot, zero extra work.

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