Porcupine Meatballs
Porcupine Meatballs feature a perfectly seasoned ground beef and rice mixture that cooks in a savory tomato sauce. This easy and delicious one pan dinner is a classic and loved by everyone!
Servings: 5 (4 meatballs per person)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 large egg , slightly beaten
- 1/3 cup finely minced onion
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more if needed)
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 & 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- butter rice , for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, uncooked rice, egg, onion, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Using a small cookie scoop, form 1 & 1/2-inch sized balls out of the mixture (you should be able to form about 20 meatballs)
- Heat olive oil over medium-high in a large nonstick skillet.
- Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes total. (Add more olive oil if needed and turn down heat if they’re starting to over brown.)
- Wipe out any excess oil and return all the browned meatballs to the skillet. Stir in the tomato sauce, beef broth, and brown sugar until incorporated and the meatballs are covered in the liquid.
- Bring to a gentle bubble, then cover the skillet with a lid or foil and simmer for about 40 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the rice is tender, tossing the meatballs two or three times. Thin the sauce with a bit more broth, if necessary.
- Serve warm over cooked hot white rice with a pat of butter, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
These work with other types of ground meat. Try ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or a mixture.
Bake in the oven instead. Alternatively, if you would prefer to finish baking them in the oven, you can place the browned meatballs in a casserole dish coated with nonstick spray, pour the sauce over the top, cover tightly with foil. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 40 minutes, tossing the meatballs two or three times. Uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the rice is tender.
Storage. Instructions for storing leftovers, freezing, and reheating are included in the article.
Nutrition
Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1736mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 4mg