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Overhead view of porcupine meatballs on a serving plate with white rice and a fork cutting a meatball in half.
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4.75 from 12 votes

Porcupine Meatballs

These easy and flavorful Porcupine Meatballs are made with ground beef and rice, then simmered in a savory tomato sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Italian
Total Cost: $11.34 recipe / $1.89 serving
Servings: 6 (4 meatballs each)
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Marsha McDougal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning $0.20
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder $0.05
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt $0.06
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.04
  • 1/2 cup long grain white rice, uncooked* $0.24
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef** $4.98
  • 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced $0.35
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.08
  • 1 large egg $0.67
  • 2 Tbsp chopped parsley (to garnish) $0.18

Tomato Sauce

  • 1 15oz. can tomato sauce $1.06
  • 1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juices $0.83
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce $0.06
  • 1 Tbsp sugar $0.06
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.04
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.03
  • 1/2 cup water $0.00

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir together the Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
  • Rinse the rice in cool water and drain well. Add the lean ground beef to a large bowl along with the rice, finely diced onion, minced garlic, egg, and the seasoning mixture.
  • Use your hands to mix everything together until evenly combined. Try not to overmix as this can make the meatballs tough.
  • Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 meatballs, about two tablespoons each. Place the shaped meatballs into a large pot or dutch oven. It’s ok if the meatballs are touching each other. I also stacked a few on top of each other.
  • Now make the sauce. In a medium bowl combine the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, black pepper, garlic powder, and water. Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the meatballs.
  • Cover the pot with a lid and bring the pot to a low boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the meatballs simmer for 35-40 minutes.
  • Serve over rice or mashed potatoes with fresh chopped parsley on top and enjoy!

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Notes

*Be sure to use uncooked long-grain white rice. You don't need to cook it first for this recipe. Cooking the rice first just adds an extra step to the process, and I didn't find it necessary. Using uncooked rice allows the rice to cook at the same time as the meatballs and soak up all the seasoning and flavors from the dish.
**I used 93% lean ground beef to reduce the amount of grease that collects inside the pot while the meatballs are cooking. But 85% lean should also work pretty well.

Nutrition

Serving: 4meatballs | Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 685mg | Fiber: 1g