This delicious Porcupine Meatballs recipe is a quick and hearty meal perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple, everyday ingredients like ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce, these tender meatballs simmer in a flavorful sauce. It’s a flexible dish you can pair with mashed potatoes, rice, or veggies for a complete, comforting dinner.
Ingredients Needed
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock (or more, as needed)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
How To Make Porcupine Meatballs
- Mix and shape the meatballs: Combine ground beef, rice, water, onion, kosher salt, celery salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and roll into 12 even-sized meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning once halfway through, until browned on all sides (about 8 minutes). Drain any excess grease.
- Cook in sauce: Pour tomato sauce, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and granulated sugar into the skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through, rice is tender, and the sauce has thickened. Add more stock if the sauce starts to dry out.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs warm with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or over rice.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip browning the meatballs: Browning adds flavor and helps the meatballs hold their shape while cooking.
- Use fresh onion: Freshly chopped onion gives better texture and flavor than dried onion flakes.
- Simmer on low heat: Cooking slowly ensures the meatballs cook evenly and the rice softens perfectly.
- Adjust sauce thickness: Add extra chicken stock if the sauce gets too thick or starts to dry out.
- Taste the sauce: Check the sauce seasoning while simmering and adjust salt or sugar as needed.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover porcupine meatballs in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Put leftover porcupine meatballs in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm leftover porcupine meatballs on the stove over low heat with a bit of extra sauce or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until hot all the way through.
Nutrition Fact
Serving Size: 1 meatball (assuming 12 meatballs per recipe)
- Calories: 364
- Total Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Cholesterol: 101mg
- Sodium: 1,280mg
- Potassium: 947mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 16g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 6g
- Protein: 35g
More Recipes:
Porcupine Meatballs
Description
This delicious Porcupine Meatballs recipe is a quick and hearty meal perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple, everyday ingredients like ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce, these tender meatballs simmer in a flavorful sauce. It’s a flexible dish you can pair with mashed potatoes, rice, or veggies for a complete, comforting dinner.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
For the Sauce:
Instructions
- Mix and shape the meatballs: Combine ground beef, rice, water, onion, kosher salt, celery salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and roll into 12 even-sized meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning once halfway through, until browned on all sides (about 8 minutes). Drain any excess grease.
- Cook in sauce: Pour tomato sauce, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and granulated sugar into the skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through, rice is tender, and the sauce has thickened. Add more stock if the sauce starts to dry out.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs warm with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or over rice.
Notes
- Don’t skip browning the meatballs: Browning adds flavor and helps the meatballs hold their shape while cooking.
- Use fresh onion: Freshly chopped onion gives better texture and flavor than dried onion flakes.
- Simmer on low heat: Cooking slowly ensures the meatballs cook evenly and the rice softens perfectly.
- Adjust sauce thickness: Add extra chicken stock if the sauce gets too thick or starts to dry out.
- Taste the sauce: Check the sauce seasoning while simmering and adjust salt or sugar as needed.
Porcupine Meatballs
