Why do they call them porcupine meatballs? I think it’s because the rice makes it like little porcupine quills. In any case, on a fall evening, I love when the house is full of the warm smells of porcupine meatballs, hot blueberry muffins, and green beans. This is also a great pantry meal that you can make without needing any fresh or refrigerated ingredients. It’s not a hard recipe, but it does take time to make, with rolling the meatballs and then needing time to simmer. Also, FYI, you can include ground turkey or chicken for one pound of the meat, but don’t do the entire 2 lb. as poultry. I’ve tried that before, and the meatballs just fall apart. Maybe it needs the higher fat content to hold together better or something.
If you’re making this gluten free, you’ll need to make the replacement for the canned tomato soup (since most condensed soups have wheat in them).
Make it a meal with:
- Blueberry Muffins or French bread
- Green Beans
- Jell-O
Porcupine Meatballs
Perfect for fall evenings, especially with blueberry muffins.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 small cans Tomato Soup
- For gluten free, use:
- 16 oz. Tomato Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 cans Water (or about 22 oz. water)
- 2 Whole Cloves
- ¼ tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
- ¼ c. Minute Rice
Meatballs
- 2 lbs. Hamburger
- 1 c. Minute Rice
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
- 1 1/8 tsp. Salt
- Pepper to taste
Directions
In a heavy pan, mix the sauce ingredients. Then in a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients with your hands. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and drop into the sauce. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard cloves before serving if you can find them.
Mitchell Meals 