Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food — tender, juicy beef and sausage meatballs with rice tucked inside, simmered in a rich, savory tomato sauce. It’s a simple, hearty dinner your whole family will love!.

This recipe is so nostalgic and comforting for me. As we inch closer to back-to-school season, I’ve been thinking about new recipes for you that are easy, affordable and that make great family dinners.

It got me thinking about lunches that were served in our school cafeteria when I was there way back in the 70s. 😮 Porcupine meatballs, sheet pan pizzas, pigs in a blanket with homemade bread dough, and chili with cinnamon rolls definitely fill me with nostalgia and fond memories.

I decided to share a few of my favorite “lunch lady” recipes over the next few weeks. This scrumptious Italian-style meatball recipe with its rice binder twist is the first of those vintage dishes.

My recipe wouldn’t be considered traditional, since I always make recipes fit my own pantry and our family’s tastes. But that’s what makes cooking so fun and personal, and I hope this blog is teaching you to do the same.

Porcupine Meatballs are easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and deliciously crowd-pleasing even on busy weeknights. They were a Depression-era favorite and still feel like a warm family hug.

Ingredient Info

Ground Meat:

I made a mixture that was half 85/15 ground beef — just enough fat to make the meatballs juicy and flavorful, but not so much that the dish turns out greasy. And for the other half, I used Italian sausage. You could easily substitute your favorite ground meat combos, keeping in mind that you want some fat content to keep your porcupine meatballs from drying out. Ground pork, ground beef, ground lamb, and sausage are all great options.

Onion:

I used red onion, but feel free to use what you have in your pantry. The color doesn’t matter. The important thing is that it be minced very finely.

Keeping the mince on the onion very fine allows you to add flavor to the meatballs without making them crumbly, as larger pieces are apt to do.

I minced mine by hand without issue, but I admit that I have lots of chopping experience. If you’re not as comfortable with chopping, you could make quick work of this job by mincing the onion in a food processor.

Binders:

In porcupine meatballs, I use eggs and rice as binders to keep the meatballs moist and to hold them together.

In my Italian meatballs recipe, I use eggs and rolled oats as binders, but rice is a must-use ingredient in this recipe. The rice gives these tasty porcupine meatballs their “spiky” porcupine appearance.

The rice must be “instant” (parboiled) so that it cooks in the allotted time. And, I choose instant brown rice over the white, even though both work beautifully. I like the added protein and fiber from the brown rice.

Seasonings:

Like with all cooking, seasonings are often just a matter of personal preference and availability. Choose what you know your family likes and what will complement the sauce you are using.

I used my homemade All-Purpose Seasoning, which contains salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. To that, I added Italian seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Very simple. If you have other favorite herbs and spices or seasoning blends on hand, you can definitely substitute them in.

IMPORTANT: Your all-purpose seasoning may have lots more salt than mine if it is store-bought.  If you aren’t using my homemade all-purpose seasoning, use one you’re familiar with and double the amount you would use for 1 lb. of ground beef.

Pasta/Marinara Sauce:

Again, which you use is a matter of personal preference. I used one recipe of my easy Marinara Sauce. I gave it a quick blitz in the blender to make it completely smooth, and it turned out to be the perfect amount for creating the tomato “gravy” in this recipe.

FAQs

Are they gluten‑free?

Yes. Made exactly as the recipe instructs, this porcupine meatball dish is gluten-free. If you purchase ready-made pasta sauce or marinara sauce, always check the labels to make sure the ingredients don’t include gluten.

How long will leftovers keep?

The leftover meatballs and tomato gravy should keep in the fridge for three to four days. Be sure to seal them in an airtight container. Reheat leftovers in the microwave, air fryer, or in a 350° oven.

Can I freeze porcupine meatballs?

Absolutely. I recommend forming the mixture into meatballs and lining them up raw on a parchment-lined baking sheet or on plates to flash-freeze. Once frozen, they can be tossed in a zip-top bag and frozen for up to three months, just like my popular Italian meatballs. Pull out however many frozen meatballs you want. Arrange them in a baking dish and cover tightly. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then when you’re ready to bake them, add the pasta/marinara sauce over the top and bake according to the recipe instructions.

What to Serve with Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine meatballs could be served on their own as a main dish with any of your favorite sides. But a great way to stretch the meat in your meal and make the dish even more hearty and delicious is to serve these tasty morsels and their thick tomato gravy over creamy mashed potatoes, white rice or brown rice, creamy polenta or pasta (Jovial brown rice pasta is always my choice.) They are also fabulous on hoagie rolls for meatball subs!

Here are side dish recipes we love with porcupine meatballs.

How to Make Porcupine Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Gently combine everything except the pasta sauce in a large mixing bowl.  Distribute the ingredients evenly, but don’t overmix.  Overmixing can make the meatballs dense and tough.  Be sure your onions are minced super fine so the meatballs don’t become crumbly.  A food processor is a great option for that if you don’t want to do it by hand.

3. Use a cookie scoop (1 Tablespoon) to create meatballs and scoop them into a 9×13 baking dish.
4. Pour the pasta/marinara sauce you’ve chosen over the meatballs.
5. Bake uncovered at 350° for 1 hour.
6. When the meatballs come out of the oven the surface is a slightly drier tomato layer. Just give it all a gentle stir and your luscious tomato gravy will come together. Coat the meatballs in the tomato gravy.
7. Serve over pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, polenta or stuffed into hoagie rolls for meatball subs. You can also set them on a buffet table with toothpicks and serve them as a fantastic warm appetizer.

The Recipe

I hope you and your favorite people will enjoy this absolutely scrumptious, vintage, comfort-food recipe. It’s a great way to make a hearty meal that stretches your meat to feed more people.

And there are so many delectable ways to serve them. Make some Porcupine Meatballs for your family this week. They’re sure to be a hit!

More Easy Meatball Recipes

• Italian Meatballs: Scrumptious, Savory and Oh So Easy
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Dinner in Under 30 Minutes
• Meatballs in Brown Gravy | Delish!
• Best Meatball Stew Recipe | Hearty, Delicious Comfort Food