Porcupine Meatballs with Rice

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This classic Porcupine Meatball recipe is simple to make with 25 minutes of prep time, and guaranteed to be loved by the whole family. It's inspired by my mom's foolproof recipe that she made frequently when I was growing up.

Be sure to add it to your meal prep list of easy dinners. It stores and freezes beautifully.

I love this updated version of meatballs with rice. The recipe was handed down from my mom, and we make it all the time because the family devours these meatballs!

This recipe is tried and true and guaranteed to work in your kitchen, just like my variation, Moroccan Porcupine Meatballs with delicious global flavors.

If you love baked dinners get into this Tater Tot Meatball Casserole. And Pesto Italian Meatballs are always a hit. For adventurous eaters, they'll love Thai Chicken Meatballs.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• What are Porcupine Meatballs?
• Ingredients
• How to make Porcupine Meatballs
• Expert tips
• Flavors in classic meatballs with rice
• Storage and Freezing Instructions
• Variations and Substitutions
• What to serve with meatballs with rice recipe
• How does the rice cook inside?
• FAQs
• More meatball recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why this recipe works

Porcupine balls are a timeless, savory meal. An easy oven-dinner of meatballs with rice cooked right inside and a delicious tomato sauce. Need more reasons to love this recipe?

• Meal Prep: The chopping, measuring and prep can be done ahead of time for this recipe, making it perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
• Foolproof Meatballs: This recipe works every time, and you get tender and delicious meatballs in savoy sauce.
• Fun for the Family: Kids and adults love how the rice pops out of the meatballs to look like a porcupine!

I took out the processed canned tomato soup, but my classic porcupine meatballs recipe still has the delicious taste from my childhood, with a flavorful tomato and green pepper sauce.

Plus, find my vegetarian and vegan versions below. The entire family can enjoy this dinner, even with varied diets.

What are Porcupine Meatballs?

Porcupine Meatballs are beef meatballs mixed with rice, simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce. As they cook, the rice pokes out, resembling little porcupine quills—hence the name!

This dish has a long history, dating back to the Great Depression, when families found creative ways to stretch ingredients. Adding rice to ground meat (beef, lamb, or pork) was a clever way to extend the meat and make it more filling while using less of the pricier protein.

I grew up loving porcupine meatballs, which were often simmered in canned tomato soup. Today, I make them with a homemade tomato sauce, but the idea remains the same—an easy, affordable meal that doesn’t skimp on taste.

The quirky name (we used to just call them Porcupine Balls) may prompt a few chuckles at the dinner table, but they’ll be quickly forgotten as everyone eats this delicious and comforting dish.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• Long grain rice: Adds texture and helps create the signature "porcupine" look as the rice expands during cooking.
• Hot water: softens the rice so it cooks evenly inside the meatballs.
• Ground beef: I prefer using 80/20% ground beef for flavor and moisture.
• Yellow onion: Adds the main savory flavor to the meatballs.
• Garlic: I like to keep peeled garlic cloves on hand in the fridge for easy prep.
• Seasonings: Use pantry staples like dried parsley, black pepper, salt, and cayenne to add classic flavor to the meatballs.

For the Tomato Sauce:

• Tomatoes: I use a 15-ounce can of each diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to create a silky, savory and robust simmer sauce.
• Flour: You can swap the all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour here.
• Water: Loosens the flour to ensure even distribution in the sauce.
• Yellow onion: Finely chop the onion so it adds savory flavor without big pieces.
• Garlic: I use a garlic press to quickly mince garlic.
• Green bell pepper: This color of bell pepper adds the nostalgic, savory flavor the the dish.
• Worcestershire sauce: Infuses the sauce with a savory, umami-rich depth.
• Sugar: This helps the sauce mimic the sweet flavor of canned tomato soup and balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
• Seasonings: Use celery seed and salt to simply flavor the sauce with authentic taste.
• Fresh parsley: This is optional and adds a nice fresh burst of color and flavor the the finished dish.

How to make Porcupine Meatballs

To make porcupine meatballs follow these steps.

1. In a bowl, combine rice and hot water. Let it sit for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 375°F.
3. While the rice is soaking mix meatball mixture, then, after 20 minutes, add the soaked rice and water to the beef mixture.
4. Form the mixture into 10 meatballs.
5. Make tomato sauce then add the sauce and meatballs to the baking dish.
6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.
7. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve.

Here are some illustrated instructions for assembling this easy casserole dinner. You'll find detailed measurements and times in the recipe card below.

Expert tips

• Swapped the canned soup for regular tomatoes and seasonings.

Mom's recipe for old fashioned porcupine meatballs used Campbell's tomato soup as the simmering sauce and she nestled green peppers (a 70's recipe staple!) in the sauce for the rice and beef meatballs to cook in.

My pantry looks different than my mom's did in the 70's. I rarely have canned soup around and don't really want the additives in my casserole, so I've used diced canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. They add a juicy, bright tomato flavor!

I re-created Campbell's condensed tomato soup, but from pantry staples, so you know you'll probably have all the ingredients on a Wednesday night!

• Use 80/20 ground beef for the best texture and flavor.

The perfect balance of 80 percent lean meat and 20 percent fat creates a great texture for porcupine meatballs.

With rice or without, you'll want to choose the right ground beef for your meatballs. I choose a lean beef.

The Beef It's What For Dinner experts call for 93/7% lean ground beef for meatballs, plus a binder (like egg). That means 93 percent lean meat and 7 percent fat, therefore, this cut has less total fat and is considered a lean cut of beef.

They also say 80/20 is great. I agree, this percentage range for ground beef works well to keep the meatballs moist and tender. Especially because I'm not adding an egg or other moisturizing binders to porcupine balls.

Flavors in classic meatballs with rice

I distinctly remember the waft of green peppers as these meatballs cooked when I was a child. That flavor adds such nostalgia to this dinner.

I've left those in as well as added some Worcestershire sauce. Some recipes from the era call for that, and I really like just a bit in the tomatoey sauce the meatballs cook in.

Instead of canned tomato soup, I use diced canned tomatoes. I think they add a clean, fresh taste to the sauce, and the juiciness helps cooked the rice.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Make meatballs ahead of time: Having a batch of frozen meatballs on hand is a lifesaver for busy weeknights. Assemble the dish, then before baking wrap and freeze the dish. These flavorful meatballs can go straight from the freezer to the oven. Increase the initial baking time to about 1 hour 25 minutes.

Storing leftover meatballs: Leftover cooked meatballs can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just wrap them tightly. When it’s time to reheat, pop them in the microwave for about 2 minutes or heat them in the oven until warmed through.

Freezing meatballs: Yes, you can definitely freeze these! For best results, I suggest freezing the meatballs before cooking. Freeze the entire assembled dish, or freeze uncooked meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer them to an airtight freezer bag or container. They’ll stay at their best for 3 to 4 months. Freeze the sauce separately in a ziptop freezer bag. Thaw everything in the fridge for a few hours before assembling to bake.

Reheating meatballs: Whether you’re reheating from frozen or thawed, these meatballs are super easy to warm up. To thaw cooked-frozen meatballs place the in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a 350ºF oven until heated through. Reheat cooked, chilled meatballs in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Variations and Substitutions

• Vegetarian or Vegan version:

Right up front I'm going to tell you the vegetarian version of this meatballs recipe isn't "balls" at all! I created a baked stew for her with all the flavor elements to eat over a bed of rice. Each bite tastes so much like the meaty version, sans the beef! Plus this is easily halved if you don't want a family batch of the same recipe.

• Make the tomato sauce as written.
• Cut up about 4 cups cauliflower, broccoli into 1-to-2-inch pieces.
• In a casserole dish add vegetables and 1 can of drained chickpeas.
• Add dry or fresh parsley if desired.
• Cover casserole dish tightly with foil and bake at 375ºF for 1 hour.
• Serve over cooked white rice.

• Different protein:

You can use ground beef, ground lamb, or ground pork for these meatballs. If you wanted to try ground chicken or turkey, I suggest adding 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil to the meat mixture because they are too lean.

• Spice things up:

You can use different spices to make these meatballs unique. Try my Moroccan Porcupine Meatballs version with fun flavors.

• Make them Gluten-Free:

Simply swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour to make these gluten-free.

What to serve with meatballs with rice recipe

Make side dishes while the oven is tied up cooking these heavenly meatballs with rice in them.

• Quick Sourdough Bread
• Classic Dinner Rolls
• Orange Glazed Carrots
• Browned Butter Green Beans
• Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

Also try Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Roast Parsnips, and mashed potato recipes with flavorful mix ins as complimentary side dishes to these meatballs.

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