Take Your Meatball Sub To New Heights With Enchilada Sauce

Fans of the hit sitcom "Friends" know that Joey Tribbiani (portrayed by Matt LeBlanc) is a major fan of sandwiches, particularly meatball subs. In fact, in the Season 5 episode, "The One With The Ride Along," Tribbiani admits that he would even take a bullet for one of the handhelds packed with meatballs, marinara sauce, and cheese. If that's what the fictional funny man would do for a traditional meatball sub, we can only imagine what he might do for one that's been drenched in enchilada sauce.

The ingredient is just the thing to elevate a homemade meatball sub to new heights, and all you need to do to give the sando a Mexican-inspired twist is swap out the marinara for a classic red enchilada sauce, which you can get either from a can or make yourself using this easy recipe. It is often made with chiles, but when the sauce has a tomato base, you'll still get a hint of that sweetness that is found in marinara. The sauces may also share a handful of spices including oregano, garlic, and onion. However, the enchilada sauce packs even more flavor thanks to the addition of ingredients like cumin and chili powder.

You can also experiment with making your meatball subs verde-style with a green enchilada sauce. Sauce of this hue typically has green chilis like jalapeños and serranos at its base, which often renders it spicier than its darker counterpart.

Even if it's made with frozen meatballs, we're sure Joey Tribbiani would nonetheless take a bullet for an enchilada-style meatball sub. However, you can elevate your sando further still when you make homemade meatballs like these slow cooker Tex-Mex meatballs, which are just the thing to add some freshness to an enchilada meatball sub thanks to the addition of Rotel tomatoes. Plus, these meatballs have cheese cooked right into them, and more cheese is never a bad thing when it comes to enchiladas and meatball subs.

On the other hand, if you're not able to get your meatballs started ahead of time, you can simply add taco seasoning to ground beef, ground chicken, or turkey, or ditch the taco seasoning in favor of a flavor-packed chorizo. However, just as you don't need meat to make enchiladas hearty, the same goes for enchilada-style meatball subs. Instead, you could try making meatballs from lentils, black beans, or mushrooms. All of these options can pair nicely with red or green sauce, so the pairing you choose ultimately comes down to your taste preference.

Regardless of the type of meatball or sauce you go with, don't forget to top your enchilada-style meatball sub with a generous amount of cheese, such as a Mexican blend or Monterey Jack. You can also add other classic enchilada toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, and cilantro.