Porcupine Meatballs
Flavorful and tender, Porcupine Meatballs are a simple and filling go-to dinner. They’re versatile, hearty, and oh-so-delicious!
SUPER EASY FLAVORFUL MEATBALLS
Have you ever had or heard of porcupine meatballs? Imagine the flavor of juicy beef and rice cooked together with zesty spices – all bundled up neatly in bite-sized morsels. The perfect meal; hearty and filling without being too heavy. These tender Porcupine Meatballs are extremely flavorful that you will keep going back for more!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Porcupine meatballs are a traditional dish made from ground beef or pork mixed with rice and seasonings, formed into balls, and then simmered in a tomato-based sauce. The name “porcupine” comes from the way the rice in the meatballs resemble the quills of a porcupine. The dish is believed to have originated during the Great Depression, when people used rice as a filler to stretch their meat supply.
We like to serve them over a bed of rice, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles with some of the sauce drizzled over the meatballs. You can also serve some vegetables, like steamed carrots, peas or broccoli with these meatballs to round it out. Or maybe serve a colorful side salad!
No, you can certainly swap the beef out for other ground meat. Try using ground turkey, ground chicken, ground sausage or ground pork. Or any ground meat combination mixture you want to make from any of these would work also.
No worries! Just use any oven-safe skillet you have. Or, if you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can put the meatballs in a baking dish, bring the sauce to a simmer on the stove and pour it over the meatballs. Then cover the dish and bake following using the rest of the instructions.
Using a binding agent helps keep the meatballs from falling apart. In this recipe, I use a well beaten egg as the binding agent. Just like when you’re making meatloaf.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep them even longer, by freezing them for up to 3 months.
I usually serve with more rice or pasta to take advantage of that extra sauce. You could also serve with a simple side salad and/or garlic bread. Steamed veggies (like broccoli) also work well with these meatballs.
You can use a microwave to reheat your meatballs, or use the stovetop or oven to reheat the meatballs until they’re warmed all the way through before enjoying.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef – I prefer a lean ground beef so there isn’t a lot of grease produced. You could also use ground turkey or ground chicken or even pork.
- uncooked long-grain white rice – if all you have is instant rice (Minute rice) then you can use that as well.
- egg – this acts a binder to hold the meat together. If you have time, let the egg come to room temperature, it will help it mix in better with the meat.
- sweet onion – if you don’t like onion, just leave it out or you could even use dried onion flakes (about a Tablespoon.)
- Worcestershire sauce
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning – I like the meatballs to have a slight Italian flavor (it is not strong) but if that isn’t your thing, just leave it out.
- kosher salt and black pepper
- can of condensed tomato soup – please see my ingredient image below if you need to know what to look for. If you have an salt sensitivities or concerns about sodium, use a low or no sodium soup.
- beef stock – just like I mentioned for the tomato soup, if you have any salt sensitivities, use a low or no sodium beef stock. You can always add additional salt but you can’t take it out once it is in there.
HOW TO MAKE PORCUPINE MEATBALLS :
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the ground beef, rice, beaten egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Roll into 2 Tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a plate.
In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. Once hot, fry the meatballs for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Wipe out any excess oil. Mix together the tomato soup and beef stock, pour over the meatballs, and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
Add fresh chopped parsley for garnish if using, and serve immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Crock Pot Honey Garlic Meatballs
- Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
- Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Crock Pot Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Chicken Meatballs
- Homemade Italian Meatballs
- Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
- Crock Pot Ultimate Party Meatballs
- Homemade Turkey Meatballs
- Meatball Alfredo
Originally published: January 2023
Republished: March 2025
Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- ½ cup finely diced sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 10.75 ounce can condensed tomato soup
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- fresh chopped parsley (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix 1 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, 1 large egg, well beaten, 1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl.
- Roll into 2 Tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a plate.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil. Once hot, fry the meatballs for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Wipe out any excess oil.
- In a large measuring cup, mix together 10.75 ounce can condensed tomato soup and 1 ½ cups beef stock then pour over the meatballs, and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat.
- Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Add fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional), and serve immediately.
Notes
- We like to serve these meatballs over steamed rice, but they are also good over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
- You can use ground sausage, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork in place of the beef, or any ground meat mixture you would like.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reheat leftovers in the oven, microwave, or on the stove until heated through.
- I used a cast iron skillet to make mine, but you can use any oven-safe skillet. I love this recipe because you only have to dirty one pan. However, if you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can place the meatballs into a baking dish, bring the sauce to a simmer on the stove top and pour it over the meatballs, then cover and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
love this recipe, will be making it, grew up eating this as a kid, my grandmother would make this, thank you.
I love when people share their food memories with me! So many sweet memories associated with meal time!
I have made these in a instapot. They turned out so good !!!