Porcupine Meatballs

Try these classic Porcupine Meatballs — made with our Minute® Instant White Rice instead of breadcrumbs — for an amazing dinner loaded with flavor, that’s ready in just 30 minutes.

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Porcupine Meatballs

Cooking time PREP TIME 10 mins
Cooking time COOK TIME 20 mins
Servings SERVES 4-6
Ready in TOTAL TIME 30 mins
Cooking time
PREP TIME 10 mins
Cooking time
COOK TIME 20 mins
Servings
SERVES 4-6
Ready in
TOTAL TIME 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 cup Minute® White Rice
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 packet (1.5 oz) meatloaf seasoning
  • 1 1/4 cup water, divided
  • 1 jar (24 oz) pasta sauce

Instructions

  • Perfect as an alternative to spaghetti night, this comfort meal is great for the whole family. Enjoy these classic Porcupine Meatballs, made with Minute® Instant White Rice, with the family tonight!

    Step 1

  • Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until starting to soften.

    Step 2

  • In a large bowl, combine onions, beef, rice, egg, seasoning and 1/4 cup water; mix gently by hand until well blended. Shape mixture into medium-sized meatballs.

    Step 3

  • Pour pasta sauce and remaining water into the same 3-quart saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil. Add meatballs and return to a boil.

    Step 4

  • Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

    Recipe Tips

    Substitute beef for ground turkey, chicken or meatless ground, if you prefer.

    Serve meatballs and sauce over extra cooked Minute® Rice and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Homemade Meatballs in 30 Minutes

Great for the whole family, this meatball recipe can serve up to 6 people and takes just half an hour to prepare. Talk about dinner in a hurry; these meatballs are the perfect solution!

If this is your first time making homemade meatballs, we’ll fill you in on a little secret — they’re not as tricky to make as they look. To put it simply, all you need to do is mix the ingredients, form meatballs and cook them in a pot until they’re ready to enjoy.

Since these are porcupine meatballs, we switch out breadcrumbs for our Minute® Instant White Rice. Apart from that, these are pretty traditional. To begin, you’ll need to sauté some onions to add flavor to your mixture. When ready, add the onions to a combination of ground beef, rice, egg and seasonings. We also add about a quarter of a cup of water to the mixture to ensure that the meatballs bind nicely, while also staying nice and moist.

Once your mixture is ready, form the meatballs and heat some tomato sauce in a large saucepan. Then add the meatballs to the sauce, bring to a boil and relax! After simmering, the meatballs will be ready to eat.

Now that you’ve mastered these Porcupine Meatballs, you can venture out and try some new flavors, like our sweet and spicy Polynesian Meatballs.

For something different, try our Louisiana-inspired Red Beans and Rice recipe. For a vegetarian option the whole family will love, try our Rice-Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan.

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