Description
Old-Fashioned Porcupine Meatballs are a nostalgic comfort food featuring tender ground beef meatballs studded with long grain rice, simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce with Italian seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. This classic stovetop dish offers a hearty, satisfying meal that’s perfect for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1/4 cup yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce (from the cans)
Tomato Sauce
- 2 (15 oz each) cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, beaten egg, 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce, finely chopped onion, Italian seasoning, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute ingredients.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the mixture into 1/2 inch diameter balls. Place these formed meatballs into a cold skillet, ensuring they are spaced apart for even cooking.
- Prepare Sauce and Simmer: Whisk together the remaining tomato sauce from the cans, 1/2 cup water, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this sauce mixture over and around the meatballs in the skillet.
- Bring to Boil and Simmer: Place the skillet over medium-high heat and bring the sauce and meatballs to a boil. Once boiling, cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Turn Meatballs and Continue Cooking: Carefully turn the meatballs over to ensure even cooking. Cover and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked through and rice is tender.
- Serve: Once cooked, remove from heat and serve the porcupine meatballs hot, accompanied by your choice of sides.
Notes
- Using lean ground beef helps reduce excess fat while keeping the meatballs moist.
- Rice expands during cooking, giving the meatballs their signature ‘porcupine’ appearance.
- Simmering covered is crucial to cook the rice inside the meatballs properly and keep them tender.
- For additional flavor, you can add minced garlic or a pinch of crushed red pepper to the meatball mixture.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: porcupine meatballs, ground beef meatballs, tomato sauce meatballs, classic American dinner, rice meatballs, comfort food
