Porcupine Meatballs
These aren't your old-fashioned porcupine meatballs! Made with juicy ground beef, Italian sausage, white rice, and herbs, cooked in savory homemade tomato sauce.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
Porcupine Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef preferably 80/20
- 8 ounces mild Italian sausage casings removed
- ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice I used Basmati
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley plus more for serving
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for browning
Garlic-Parmesan Tomato Sauce
- 28 ounce can tomato sauce (or use two 14 to 15-ounce cans)
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, uncooked rice, egg, parsley, Parmesan, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper to taste, and water. Mix gently with clean hands. Do not overmix, as this can make the meatballs dense.
- Shape the meatballs. Form the mixture into about 20 meatballs, roughly 2 tablespoons each. Keep them compact so they hold together while the rice expands during cooking.
- Brown the meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Brown them on all sides for about 6–8 minutes total. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate.
- Prepare the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, butter, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper to taste, to the same skillet. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the porcupine meatballs. Return the meatballs to the skillet, arranging them in a single layer and spooning some sauce over the tops. Cover the skillet tightly and simmer over low heat for 45–50 minutes, or until the rice is completely tender, the meatballs are cooked through, and the rice is visibly poking through the surface. If the sauce gets too thick before the rice is tender, add a small splash of beef broth and continue cooking.
- Finish it up. Remove the lid and sprinkle the Parmesan over the tomato sauce. Gently spoon some of the sauce over the meatballs and cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes, just until the Parmesan melts into the sauce.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm with the tomato sauce spooned over the meatballs.
Notes
- Use uncooked long-grain white rice. Don't substitute cooked rice or instant rice, as the rice needs to absorb the liquid while the meatballs simmer.
- Do not skip the water in the meatball mixture. The uncooked rice needs additional moisture to cook properly inside the meatballs.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer rather than a rapid boil. This helps the meatballs stay intact while the rice cooks.
- Don't overmix the meatball mixture. Gently combining the ingredients keeps the meatballs tender.
- For the best “porcupine” appearance, don't make the meatballs too large. The rice needs room to expand and poke through the surface.
Nutrition
Serving: 3meatballs + 1/2 cup tomato sauce | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1204mg | Potassium: 919mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1008IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 5mg
