Description
Delightful porcupine meatballs bring nostalgia from mid-century kitchens with tender beef and rice nestled in savory tomato sauce. Home cooks can savor these comforting classics that promise warmth and satisfaction in every hearty bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Rice:
- 1 pound (454 grams) ground beef (85% lean)
- 1/2 cup (96 grams) uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 large egg
Seasonings and Aromatics:
- 1/3 cup (50 grams) chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Tomato Base:
- 1 can (15 ounces or 425 grams) tomato sauce
- 1 can (28 ounces or 794 grams) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, uncooked rice, minced onion, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, beaten egg, and Worcestershire sauce in a spacious mixing vessel.
- Thoroughly blend all ingredients, ensuring even distribution of seasonings and rice throughout the meat mixture.
- Gently form uniform spherical portions, approximately the size of golf balls, using delicate hand movements to maintain a compact structure.
- Arrange the crafted meatballs in a single layer within a ceramic or glass baking dish, allowing slight spacing between each piece.
- Create a robust sauce by whisking together canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes until well integrated.
- Cascade the prepared tomato mixture evenly over the arranged meatballs, ensuring complete surface coverage.
- Shield the baking dish with aluminum foil, creating a tight seal to retain moisture during initial cooking phase.
- Position the covered dish in a preheated oven set at 350°F and allow to roast for approximately 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil covering and return the dish to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, monitoring until meatballs develop a rich golden exterior and rice kernels become tender.
- Verify internal temperature reaches safe cooking standards before serving this classic comfort dish.
Notes
- Customize the meat blend by mixing ground beef with ground turkey or pork for varied flavor profiles and reduced fat content.
- Swap white rice with quinoa or cauliflower rice to create gluten-free and lower-carb alternatives that maintain the dish’s texture.
- Enhance the sauce’s depth by adding a splash of red wine or a teaspoon of smoked paprika for extra complexity and richness.
- Prepare meatballs in advance and freeze uncooked for convenient meal prep, allowing them to marinate in sauce for deeper flavor development.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg