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These well-seasoned meatballs in a rich tomato sauce are one of my mom's best main dishes. I used to love this meal when I was growing up. I made it at home for our children, and now my daughters make it for their families. -Darlis Wilfer, Phelps, Wisconsin
Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 284 calories, 14 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 17 g protein.
Originally published as Porcupine Meatballs in Taste of Home October/November 1995, p35
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Reviewed on Mar. 12, 2013 by Raynebow
Another picky kid winner! I made a double batch for five people but I didn't really need to. The rice bulked it up so nicely! I put the rest in a freezer bag and will reheat later this week. Planning on making double batches in the future just to have a second meal on hand! I also think next time, after browning, I will put in the crockpot with the sauce to cook all day.
Another picky kid winner! I made a double batch for five people but I didn't really need to. The rice bulked it up so nicely! I put the rest in a freezer bag and will reheat later this week. Planning on making double batches in the future just to have a second meal on hand!
Reviewed on Feb. 26, 2013 by Badhoopty
Sorry about the long review. I need to stop drinking before posting. Use 4 Tsp of Worcestershire sauce ( not 4 Tbsp ). And after I returned the meatballs to the pan and covered with sauce, I also put a lid over my pan while it simmered in the sauce.
Reviewed on Feb. 25, 2013 by Badhoopty
<p>We made this tonight following the recipe basically word for word. I simply doubled the ingredients because I just couldn't see 1 pound of hamburger filling up three people. We used white instant rice for the recipe and it worked great in my opinion.</p><p>Two adults and our 16 year old daughter. She ate five of the twenty meatballs that I was able to make for the 2 pounds of burger. I browned in olive oil on medium high heat and basically just browned both sides because the 12" skillet was a little crowded. I removed the browned meatballs to a plate while I disposed of the grease from the pan. I also rinsed the pan with hot water once the grease was gone. I returned the meatballs to the pan and covered with the sauce (2x recipe for me).</p><p>Simmered on a low bubble for 45 minutes (turning the meatballs a couple times). They were just great. I couldn't believe my daughter ate five of the twenty I made. My only suggestion is to take the time to make the meatballs evenly sized, and to be sure and mix the ingredients thoroughly before turning into meatballs. I suppose the only thing I changed was that I mixed only 3/4 cup of water to the ground beef and added two eggs. In the sauce I did not add the water at all, just the two 15 oz cans of tomato sauce, 4Tsp of Worchestershire sauce, and 4 Tbsp of brown sugar.</p><p>15 of the 20 meatballs were eaten. Only due to stomach capacity of 3 satisfied Kansan's. We will make this more often. So easy!</p>
Reviewed on Feb. 20, 2013 by nierika23
I love this recipe! It reminds me of the meatballs my mom used to make when I was little. The only change I made to it was I added 3 tbsp of Worcestershire instead of 2 tsp and reduced the brown sugar to 1 tbsp - I really prefer a tangier sauce. you can also add a little cayenne to give it a little kick. Otherwise this recipe is perfect!
Reviewed on Feb. 10, 2013 by Michele.Hester
My children loved making these meatballs - I loved eating them! No hard to slip brown rice into this one either.
Reviewed on Dec. 30, 2012 by TWeddle
When my youngest son was three (1996) he exclaimed, "I'll have more delicious please!" It has been a requested birthday meal favorite of his ever since.
Reviewed on Dec. 20, 2012 by galinthewoods
These were really good. They turned out much more spikey and porcupine-looking than the picture shows.
Reviewed on Jul. 27, 2012 by raysen
Made this last night and the kids loved it. My son kept asking for more and normally you have to beg him to just take one more bite. I did make one change in the recipe, my husband does not like his food to be sweet so instead of the brown sugar I added about 1/2- 1 teaspoon of ginger, roughly, I did not measure. And I also made them in the pressure cooker without browning to save on time. Only had to cook them for 15-20 min. at 15 lbs of pressure.
Reviewed on Jun. 19, 2012 by s_bar_f
Delicious!
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