These are not your everyday meatballs. Porcupine meatballs get their name because they are meatballs with rice in them instead of bread crumbs. The rice grains stick out of them making them look sort of like a porcupine. This Porcupine meatball recipe is a fun twist on the Italian classic.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Ground beef: try to use lean ground beef to avoid the extra fat and calories
- Cooked rice: use your favorite kind of long-grain rice. This is a nice way to use leftovers
- Onion and garlic: mince them finely
- Fresh parsley: we’ll add it to the meatballs and use it as a garnish
- Worcestershire sauce: will be used to flavor the meatballs
- Egg: to bind the meat so the meatballs don’t fall apart
- Condensed tomato soup, V8 juice, and tomato sauce: these three ingredients are the base for the sauce
- Garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning: will flavor the tomato sauce.
How to make Porcupine meatballs:
This porcupine meatball recipe is very easy and convenient to make. The meatballs are baked, so the oven does all the cooking!
- Make the meatballs: in a bowl, combine de ground beef, cooked rice, minced onion and garlic, chopped parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 balls and place them in an oven-safe dish.
- Make the sauce: mix the tomato soup, V8 juice, tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste, until well combined.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake in a preheated 350 F, uncovered, for an hour.
What to Serve With Your Meatballs?
These meatballs are tender and the sauce is delicious. You need something to mix with the sauce, like my easy and delicious Garlic Butter Rice Recipe.
If you like potatoes better, I recommend making some Loaded Mashed Potatoes Recipe, or my Green Beans, Bacon, and Potatoes Recipe. Freshly baked bread is always a good idea to serve with saucy dishes. Check out my Italian Bread Recipe. Your family will love dipping it in the sauce!
Make Ahead:
You can make and bake this recipe ahead of time and refrigerate it, or you can make the meatballs and the sauce and store them separately in the fridge overnight and bake them the next day.
Storage:
Meatballs taste great when reheated, making them a good option to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze. Store them in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Porcupine Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup cooked rice
- ¼ cup onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped (more for garnish)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce:
- 1-10 oz can condensed tomato soup
- 1 cup V8 juice
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Make the meatballs: in a bowl, combine de ground beef, cooked rice, minced onion and garlic, chopped parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 balls and place them in an oven safe dish.
- Make the sauce: mix the tomato soup, V8 juice, tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste, until well combined.
- Pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs and bake, uncovered, for an hour. Serve with fresh parsley on top
