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These old-fashioned porcupine meatballs are made with ground beef and uncooked rice, then simmered in a simple tomato sauce. This easy dinner comes straight from my grandma’s kitchen and is still one of my family’s favorites!
A Reader’s Review
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for a wonderful dish. We love it…
Why You’ll Love Grandama’s Recipe
- A Family Recipe: This old-fashioned recipe came from my grandma and has been passed down through our family.
- Easy on the Budget: Rice stretches one pound of ground beef into enough meatballs to feed the whole family.
- Simple One-Pan Dinner: Everything cooks together in one skillet, and the meatballs are ready in about 45 minutes.
Porcupine Meatball Ingredient Tips
Did you know that porcupine meatballs get their name from the uncooked rice, which expands and sticks out of the meatballs as it cooks?
- Ground Beef: Lean ground beef works best and keeps the sauce from becoming greasy.
- Rice: Use uncooked long-grain white rice. Instant rice, cooked rice, and brown rice will not cook the same way in this recipe.
- Onion: Dice the onion finely so it blends into the meat mixture and the meatballs hold together more easily.
- Tomato Soup: Use condensed tomato soup straight from the can. Don’t prepare it according to the directions on the label.
How to Make Porcupine Meatballs
Porcupine meatballs are easier to make than you might think. Mix the ingredients, gently shape the meatballs, and let them simmer in the tomato sauce until the beef and rice are fully cooked.
- Combine: In a medium sized bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, onion, egg, parsley, garlic powder, salt, paprika, pepper, and ¼ cup of the tomato soup.
- Shape: Mix thoroughly and then gently shape about 20 meatballs and place in a large skillet.
- Make Sauce: Mix the remaining soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce, and then pour over the meatballs.
- Cook: Bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Gently spoon the sauce over the meatballs once or twice as they cook, but avoid stirring them. Check that the beef and rice are fully cooked before serving.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
The meatball mixture will feel softer and wetter than regular meatballs. That is normal! Shape them gently, place them directly in the skillet, and avoid moving them while they begin to cook.
Tips for Perfect Porcupine Meatballs
- Make them evenly sized: Approximately 20 meatballs will cook more consistently.
- Keep the skillet covered: The steam is important because it helps cook the rice.
- Don’t stir the meatballs: Gently spoon sauce over them once or twice so they don’t fall apart.
- Check the rice: Cut into one meatball before serving. If the rice is still firm, cover and simmer for a few more minutes.
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Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¼ cup uncooked long grain white rice
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 large slightly beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed tomato soup, divided
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, onion, egg, parsley, garlic powder, salt, paprika, pepper, and ¼ cup of the tomato soup. Mix thoroughly and shape into about 20 meatballs and place in a large skillet.
- Mix the remaining soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the soup mixture over the meatballs.
- Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Gently spoon the sauce over the meatballs once or twice while they cook, but avoid stirring the meatballs. Check that the beef and rice are fully cooked before serving.
- Serve the meatballs over rice or potatoes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Storage: Store leftover meatballs with the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen meatballs overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to Serve with Porcupine Meatballs
Porcupine meatballs are delicious served with Air Fryer Cauliflower or mashed potatoes.
Really nice, flavorful recipe. We omitted the egg and added 1/4 cup extra water, and substituted tomato soup with tomato sauce, passata and a bit of honey, and real maple syrup. We like the chopped parsley. Thank you Alyssa!
That’s too short of a cook time for the rice to cook. Even browning the meatballs first and cooking a little longer didn’t help.
So sorry it didn’t work out. Did you use uncooked long-grain rice? Sometimes people use the wrong kind of rice. Cooking the meatballs longer if needed should do the trick! Add a splash of water if you need more moisture.
Great recipe
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly.
Thank you so much for a wonderful dish.
We love it…
Can brown rice be used instead of long grain white rice?vVv
Yes, that would work great!
I made this once with brown rice and the rice was hard. You would have to cook it much longer.
I’ve made this recipe before and omitted the 1/4 tomato sauce inside the meatballs, browned then followed rest of instructions. They were definitely on the drier side but tasty. Tonight I’m making it again and did add the tomato sauce inside. They were definitely more fragile but after careful browning they held together enough that when I shake the pan they don’t fall apart. Still simmering but I have good faith ?
It was only ok. Barely deserves 2 stars. Won’t be making them again
Too wet, they all fell apart and we didn’t get anywhere near 20 meatballs
Mine just fell apart.
Absolutely delicious! Instead of tomato soup and water, I used my favorite organic tomato basil pasta sause. I used 1 1/2 pounds ground beef. Made extra rice on the side. I added another jar of pasta sauce (1/2 jar) to the cooked meatballs and pored it on top of the side rice. We loved it! Thanks!
Omg!!! These are delicious!! Best porcupine meatballs I’ve ever made!! ???
I did cook them in more soup though other then that I followed the recipe.