Ah, Porcupine Meatballs—classic comfort food! 🥩🍚 They’re called “porcupine” because the rice pokes out of the meatballs like little quills. Here’s a reliable recipe:
Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients (makes ~12 meatballs):
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) tomato sauce
- 1 can (10.5 oz / 300 g) condensed tomato soup
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven: 175 °C / 350 °F (or prepare a stovetop method).
- Mix meatballs:
- In a bowl, combine ground beef, uncooked rice, chopped onion, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Mix gently until combined, but don’t overwork.
- Form meatballs:
- Shape mixture into 12–16 balls, about 1.5 inches each.
- Prepare sauce:
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, mix tomato sauce, tomato soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Assemble & bake:
- Place meatballs in the sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake 1 hour, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender.
- Serve:
- Serve hot with extra sauce spooned over. Great with mashed potatoes or bread for soaking up sauce.
Tips:
- For stovetop: simmer meatballs in sauce in a covered skillet for ~45 min.
- Add herbs like parsley or thyme to the meat mixture for extra flavor.
- The rice expands while cooking, giving that “porcupine” appearance.
I can also give a quick 30-minute stovetop version with pre-cooked rice that’s faster for weeknight dinners. Do you want that?
