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Porcupine Meatballs have been around for a long time. I believe this recipe for Porcupine Meatballs originally came from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook. Although the Porcupine meatball recipe they currently have on their website is quite different.
For these meatballs, you will need one pound lean ground beef, 1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used long grain white rice), 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper. You can use pre-cooked rice or instant rice, if you do you may want to reduce the cooking time.
In a large bowl mix the rice and water. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. You can use this time to chop your onion and gather your ingredients. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients and form them into balls.
This is made in a traditional tomato-based sauce. The sauce consists of either tomato sauce or condensed tomato soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Some recipes also call for brown sugar, if you’d like a sweeter sauce you can add 2 Tbs brown sugar.
You can cook these meatballs on the stovetop or in the oven. You can brown the meatballs in a skillet with oil before preparing them in the oven but it’s not necessary. Place the meatballs in a casserole dish, and pour the sauce over the top. Cover and cook in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer.
To prepare on the stovetop, brown the meatballs in a skillet with 2 Tbs oil. Drain any excess grease and pour the sauce mixture on top of the meatballs. Set heat to medium/low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 45-60 minutes until the meatballs are no longer pink and the rice is tender. Extra water or broth can be added during cooking if the sauce is looking too thick or dry.
Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup uncooked white rice
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
Sauce
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce or condensed tomato soup
- 1 cup water or broth
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix the rice and water together, let sit for 10 minutes, and then add the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix together and form into balls. Place meatballs into a casserole dish.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour them on top of the meatballs. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.
