Porcupine Meatballs

I know what you are thinking, porcupine meatballs? What a weird name! I’m not really sure where these got their name, or who even named them, but as a kid we thought, they were so fun! It’s probably because the rice sticks out and makes them look like a “porcupine”, but I just remember we thought they were great! They were a favorite for us growing up and now I’m making them for my kiddos.

Meatballs, automatically make you think of pasta, but we rarely ate them with any kind of noodles. They can be a stand alone main dish, because they are that good! Plus, they have the rice so you may not want to have rice AND noodles, although my children would not complain. Either way, with or without pasta, I think you will love them!

First, heat the tomatoes, onions, and part of the seasonings in the skillet. You can use fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, or canned tomatoes. It really does not matter and depends on your preference. My family does not like a lot of tomato chunks so sometimes I use tomato sauce. Just be aware that if you are using different tomato products, you may have to add a little water or broth as it cooks because some of the liquid will cook out.

While the mixture is cooking down and begins to boil, reduce to a medium simmer and start your meatballs. Mix hamburger meat, sausage, eggs, rice, onion, and the rest of the spices. Mix well and roll the meatballs into tight balls so they don’t fall apart. Again, this is versatile and you can use different types of meat, onion flakes instead of chopped onion, and whatever Italian seasonings you’d like. I usually use oregano, basil, garlic, and thyme along with salt and pepper.

Now place them in the sauce, cover, and cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes turning them and adding broth or more sauce as needed. Add in a salad or vegetable and you are good to go. No pasta needed!

These meatballs are great for a quick weeknight meal!

Porcupine Meatballs

Recipe by Ellie Holt @Holt Family FarmsCourse: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb of hamburger meat

• 1 lb of Holt Family Farms sausage

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup of minute rice (uncooked)

• 1/2 cup of onion (chopped finely)

• 1 large jar of crushed tomatoes

• salt and pepper

• Italian seasonings

Directions

• On the stovetop, heat the tomatoes, 1/2 of the onions, and some of the spices in a large skillet
• When mixture is almost boiling, reduce to simmer.
• In a separate bowl, mix meat, eggs, rice, other 1/2 of the onion, and more spices.
• Roll them into tight balls and place them into the sauce. *The key is to squeeze them really tightly so they don’t fall apart.
• Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes, turning as needed.
• You can add in more tomato sauce while cooking if it is needed.

Notes

• If you can make these ahead of time and let them sit in the fridge for a couple hours they will do even better and not as prone to fall apart.
• These can also be made ahead and frozen. You will just need to increase your cook time about 5-10 minutes to allow them to thoroughly cook.

Want more ground beef recipes? Try Granny’s Hamburger Casserole for a quick weeknight meal.

Get my favorite skillet here: