Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine Meatballs is the ultimate old fashioned comfort food! Made with simple ingredients, packed with flavor and perfect for a cozy dinner any night of the week. The rich, savory sauce truly brings it all together!

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This post was last updated 3/2025.

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Shopping list:

• Ground Beef
• Instant Rice
• Water
• Onion
• Garlic
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Tomato Sauce
• Tomato Juice
• Beef Broth
• Brown Sugar
• Worcestershire Sauce

Hey there! I hope you had a great weekend!

Ours was packed with activity. Between a Girl Scout cookie booth, Thinking Day events, digging out after a blizzard, and then finally relaxing most of Sunday. I really enjoy staying home on Sundays. It’s my time to catch up on laundry, clean the house, and spend some quality time with Ella. We both love those slow, cozy Sundays. Plus, it's also when I do most of my cooking for the week’s blog posts. Nothing beats ending the weekend with a full belly and a comforting dinner!

Today’s recipe is a true old fashioned comfort food classic: Porcupine Meatballs! These naturally gluten free ground beef and rice meatballs are simmered in a rich tomato sauce that has just a hint of sweetness from brown sugar. Simple, delicious, and super budget friendly. We served them with mashed potatoes for a hearty meal, but they’d also be great with rice or pasta.

The original recipe came from a local church cookbook, and after making a few tweaks, this version has become a favorite in our home. Fun fact: porcupine meatballs actually date back to the Great Depression. They were originally made with basic ingredients like ground meat, rice, and tomato soup. Over time, the recipe evolved into what we enjoy today. As for the name, it likely comes from the rice sticking out of the meatballs, giving them a “porcupine” look. Quirky name, delicious results!

Looking for some more comforting ground beef dinner recipes? Try my Ground Beef Stroganoff or Cabbage Roll Casserole!

Meatballs are always so great for dinner or even an appetizer! Check out these Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Meatballs or Slow Cooker Barbecue Cranberry Meatballs!

Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe 💙

Recipe tips and substitution ideas:

• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Leftovers can also be frozen in airtight containers for up to two months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.

• Don't skip browning the meatballs before baking. It adds SO much extra flavor!

• Try using ground chicken, turkey, pork or lamb instead of ground beef. I sometimes also add 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley in the meatballs.

• You can substitute V-8 or spicy V-8 instead of tomato juice or add 1-2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning in the meatballs or sauce.

• Balsamic vinegar instead of Worcestershire sauce is so tasty! Onion powder can be used instead of fresh onion or garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.

• A large cookie dough scoop works perfectly to make uniform meatballs every time!

Our favorite kitchen equipment and supplies used with this recipe:

• Farberware Meat and Potato Masher
• OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
• Nextrend Garlic Twister
• Pyrex Tinted Glass Mixing Bowls Set

Yield 20 meatballs

Author Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

1 Hour

Total time

1 H & 10 M

Porcupine Meatballs

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup instant rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sauce:
• 1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine beef, rice, water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper until mixed. Shape into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat.
4. Add the meatballs and cook until evenly browned, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to a glass baking dish.
5. While browning the meatballs, combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
6. Pour the sauce over the browned meatballs in the baking dish.
7. Bake for 45 minutes until meatballs and rice are cooked through.
8. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Hot Eats and Cool Reads is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results I do due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 

You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

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