Name: Porcupine Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef ((I used 93% lean)); ½ cup uncooked long grain white rice; 1 large egg, (lightly beaten); ¼ cup grated or finely minced onion; 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley ((or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes)); ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup, not diluted ((use 2 cans of soup for more sauce in the pan)); 1 soup can of water ((use 2 soup cans of water for a "saucier" pan of meatballs))

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These baked porcupine meatballs are an old-fashioned dinner made with ground beef, rice, onion, and seasoning in a tomato soup sauce. Just 10 minutes of hands-on prep!

Horizontal overhead image of a pan of old fashioned porcupine meatballs.

A Few Notes Before You Get Started
Serving Suggestions
Preparation and Storage Tips
Porcupine Meatballs Recipe
Porcupine Meatballs Recipe Variations

Porcupine meatballs originated during the Great Depression, when rice was affordable and readily available, but meat was pricey. By adding rice to a classic meatball recipe, home cooks could bulk up the meal and stretch a small amount of beef a little bit further. They get their name because the little pieces of rice stick out of the meatballs like porcupine quills!

A Few Notes Before You Get Started

I like 93% lean ground beef, which is a nice balance of fat to keep the meatballs juicy without leaving too much grease in the baking dish.
This recipe is designed for and tested with long grain white rice. You do not need to cook the rice before adding it to the meatballs. Instead, the rice bakes in the oven with the meat. Brown rice, instant rice, and other varieties of rice will require very different cooking times, so they are not equal substitutes.
Make sure to grate or mince the onion very finely so that you don’t have any big chunks of onion to bite into. Yellow onion, white onion, sweet onion, any of them will work!
Combine the meatball mixture with your hands or with a fork — not with a wooden spoon. The more gentle you can be, the more light and tender your meatballs will stay. Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with tough, dense, and dry meatballs.
A cookie dough scoop helps form even meatballs that cook in about the same amount of time. If you prefer larger porcupine meatballs, you may need to increase the total baking time.
The total cooking time will vary depending on your oven, on the size of your meatballs, and on the pan that you bake them in. You’ll know they’re done when the rice inside a meatball is tender (it may be crispy on the outside). Add extra water, tomato soup, or tomato sauce to the dish if you need to extend the baking time.
There is not a lot of sauce in the pan with these meatballs. If you prefer a “saucier” dish, use two cans of soup (and twice as much water). Alternatively, add a jar of marinara sauce or tomato sauce to the pan with the tomato soup mixture.

Stirring together ingredients for old fashioned porcupine meatballs with a fork.

Process shot showing how to make baked porcupine meatballs.

Serving Suggestions

Porcupine meatballs pair nicely with cooked rice, 3-ingredient buttermilk mashed potatoes, green salad with red wine vinegar dressing, roasted broccoli, roasted yellow squash, and sauteed zucchini. They’re also nice with pasta or added to this quick spinach tomato pasta recipe.

Horizontal overhead image of hands holding a bowl of rice with porcupine meatballs.

Preparation and Storage Tips

Make Ahead: You can shape the meatballs, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you need a quick dinner, just pull them out, add the tomato soup and water mixture, and bake! You can also freeze the raw meatballs to enjoy them at a later date (see the freezing instructions below).
How to Store: Leftover porcupine meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave, just until warmed through. If the meatballs seem dry, you might need to add an extra can of tomato soup, or even a jar of marinara sauce.
How to Freeze: You can freeze the meatballs before or after cooking. To freeze raw meatballs that you’ll bake later, arrange the raw meatballs on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, and then transfer to a large Ziploc freezer bag. Freezing them on the baking sheet first will prevent the meatballs from sticking together or falling apart. Wait to add the tomato soup sauce until just before baking.
To freeze cooked meatballs, bake in the oven as instructed, cool to room temperature, and then freeze the meatballs and sauce in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Overhead shot of hands holding a bowl of old-fashioned porcupine meatballs in a bowl with rice.

More Meatball Recipes to Try

Baked Meatballs

1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Homemade Meatballs

45 minutes mins

BBQ Meatballs

1 hour hr 32 minutes mins

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Prep: 10

Cook: 1

Total: 1 10

Servings 6 people (18 meatballs total)

Calories 208.7 kcal

Author: Blair Lonergan

You only need 10 minutes of prep for these easy baked porcupine meatballs!

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Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef (I used 93% lean)
½ cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup grated or finely minced onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup, not diluted (use 2 cans of soup for more sauce in the pan)
1 soup can of water (use 2 soup cans of water for a "saucier" pan of meatballs)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, uncooked rice, egg, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch balls. Place the meatballs in the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato soup and water. Pour the soup mixture over the meatballs.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 30 more minutes. At this point, the meatballs should be cooked through and the rice inside the meatballs should be tender. If the rice is still crunchy, cover loosely with foil and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes (or until rice is done).

Notes

There is not a lot of sauce in the pan with these meatballs. If you prefer a “saucier” dish, use two cans of soup (and twice as much water). Alternatively, add a jar of marinara sauce to the pan with the tomato soup mixture.
The total cooking time will vary depending on your oven, on the size of your meatballs, and on the pan that you bake them in. You’ll know they’re done when the rice inside a meatball is tender (it may be crispy on the outside). Add extra water, tomato soup, or tomato sauce to the dish if you need to extend the baking time.

Nutrition

Serving: 3meatballs with sauceCalories: 208.7kcalCarbohydrates: 19.4gProtein: 17.6gFat: 6.8gSaturated Fat: 2.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 77.7mgSodium: 530.2mgPotassium: 313.7mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 4.5g

Keyword: baked porcupine meatballs, porcupine meatball recipe, porcupine meatballs, porcupine meatballs in the oven, porcupine meatballs recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan