These porcupine meatballs are not only filling and delicious, but also budget-friendly. Thank you to TheCooknShare for sharing this amazing recipe. These meatballs originated during the Great Depression when meat was pricey. To make more meatballs from a small amount of meat, rice was added to the mixture since it was affordable and accessible. It acts as a food filler that increases volume and improves texture.
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Making these porcupine meatballs is incredibly easy. Simply mix all the meatball ingredients, form the mixture into balls, make the sauce, and pour it over. The last step is to bake them in the oven. This simple dinner recipe is incredibly rich, affordable, and straightforward. You can serve it as an appetizer, over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes, or in a bun.
Porcupine Meatballs Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup long-grain rice
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ½ small chopped onion
- ½ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 15 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley for garnish
How to Make Porcupine Meatballs
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 2:
Make the meatballs. Add the lean beef in a bowl, followed by the long grain rice, garlic cloves, chopped onion, water, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined.
Step 3:
Get a handful of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Place on a casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining mixture. You should make about 20 balls.
Step 4:
Make the tomato sauce. In a measuring cup, add the tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Stir until well combined.
Step 5:
Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs.
Step 6:
Place the casserole dish inside a 350F preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
Step 7:
After baking, remove the casserole dish from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy while warm!
