Porcupine Meatballs with Rice & Tomato Sauce
Love meatballs? Try these ground beef porcupine meatballs for a change. The recipe is savoury, you'll love every bite of it.
Equipment
12-inch (30cm) skillet with lid
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
#40 cookie scoop or tablespoon measure
Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (minced beef) - minced beef, about 450g
¼ cup white rice - uncooked, standard long-grain — not instant or parboiled, about 50g
1 medium egg - slightly beaten
2 tablespoons yellow onion - finely chopped, about ⅛ of a medium onion
1 tablespoon parsley - fresh flat-leaf ; finely chopped
½ teaspoon dried parsley - or use an additional 1 tablespoon fresh parsley instead
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - or to taste
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water - 120ml- 1 can condensed tomato soup - 10.75 oz / 305g, divided
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, beaten egg, chopped onion, fresh parsley, dried parsley, black pepper, salt, and ¼ cup of the tomato soup. Mix with your hands or a fork until just combined — avoid overmixing, which makes the meatballs dense. Using a tablespoon measure or cookie scoop, form the mixture into approximately 20 golf-ball-sized meatballs (about 1½ tablespoons each). Arrange them in a single layer in a 12-inch (30cm) skillet.1 pound ground beef (minced beef), ¼ cup white rice, 1 medium egg, 2 tablespoons yellow onion, 1 tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 can condensed tomato soup
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, and water until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs in the skillet. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a gentle boil.1 can condensed tomato soup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup water
- Reduce heat to low and cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 40 minutes, gently turning the meatballs once or twice during cooking to coat them in the sauce. The meatballs are done when the rice grains are tender and visibly poking through the surface, and the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160°F / 71°C. If the sauce thickens too much before the rice is cooked, add a splash of water and continue simmering.
Notes
Storage: Refrigerate cooked meatballs in the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Make-Ahead: Form the raw meatballs and refrigerate on a lined baking sheet, covered, for up to 24 hours before cooking. The rice will absorb some moisture from the beef, which actually improves the texture.
Substitutions: Swap ground beef for ground turkey or pork — turkey needs to reach 165°F / 74°C internal temperature, so add 5–10 extra minutes to the simmer time.
Pro Tips: Use a #40 cookie scoop (about 1½ tablespoons) to portion the meatballs uniformly. Consistent size means every meatball finishes cooking at the same time.
Serving Suggestion: For a richer sauce, stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream or a splash of heavy cream after the simmer — it rounds out the acidity of the tomato soup beautifully.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 23gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 682mgPotassium: 775mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 434IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 3mg
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