Melinda's Porcupine Meatballs

Only 4 stars, as is.... But I modified to our family's taste and they became a 5 star. I think there was a tad too much water... the mixture was too loose. So I added an egg. I also added some worcesteshire to the meat mixture and eliminated the celery salt. I used 2 packages of dried onion soup mix to make a gravy. I make patties , not balls and once the patties (6 generous ones) were browned, I added the soup mixture (dry soup mix, water and flour) to the pan and let it cook 30-45 minutes. Served it with mashed potatoes and watched my family devour it. No leftovers. We like the brown gravy better than the tomato sauce. This is how my mom made it when we were kids in the 50's. Only no onion soup mix ...she made the gravy from scratch...

solidly good porcupine recipe! I doubled it and followed the directions exactly and it came out perfect.

have made for years, always a favorite when kids were home! Use the oven method

I've made this recipe for 35 years and it's one of my family's favorites. I think I got it from my Betty Crocker cook book. My kids all requested the recipe when they moved out and now make it for their families. I do agree with some other reviewers that, if the recipe is followed exactly, it can be a little bland. I've learned to spice it up some over the years. I add extra seasoning (italian, more garlic and onion powder) to the meatballs as well as some of the worcestershire sauce. And I also add more seasoning to the sauce...more worcestershire (because we like the flavor), garlic, onion powder and some ketchup, or sugar or even brown sugar. We serve it on toasted french rolls, like a meatball sandwich but it's also good alone with side dishes. Great as leftovers too. I didn't know it could be cooked in the oven though. That's good to know.

I don't know what everyone else is tasting, but I did not care for this recipe at all. Some very simple changes give it 4 stars for me: Instead of tomato sauce, use tomato soup. Instead of W sauce, use vinegar. And instead of regular rice, use instant rice.

This exact recipe was in a cookbook my mother gave me when I moved out on my own, and I've been making it for nearly 30 years (sans the celery salt, which I'm not fond of). It has always been a family favorite. My husband adores stuffed cabbage, but I'm a lazy cook and hate the work involved. Solution---I cook a layer of chunks or small wedges of cabbage on top of the meatballs (I've even used a bag of shredded cabbage for cole slaw in a pinch). We call it "Unstuffed Cabbage". :-)

Thank you for this delicious recipe! Try it with bloody Mary mix!

I wanted to add my two cents for the base recipe, and also a couple options that make for interesting changes if so desired. As a base, this recipe is fantastic - it's simple, it's just flavorful enough to pass, but not too exotic to get kids introduced to meat dishes. It's quick, and it's quite easy. Now, to add on to this base, there's a couple things I've done: I use instant rice instead of any long-grain/etc types - this makes the rice softer, fluffier, and cook quicker. I add a small amount of brown sugar to the sauce at the end - just enough to sweeten it slightly, but not make it too sweet. Other options: I've used Tabasco (or Frank's Red Hot) to add a kick to the sauce. It's subtle, it's flavorful, and it's only a small amount to give it that tiny heat edge. I will also serve it on a bed of rice (lightly seasoned with chicken bullion or even curry and butter). So thanks for sharing! This is a lot like my mother's recipe (which I couldn't get one night because she was at work when I called, so I got this one), but this one is more flexible than hers.

Use instant rice.

Great kid-friendly recipe! I made this for dinner for my 3 boys and it was a hit with them all - including my picky two year old who only eats salad! I made it just as directed, however, I didn't have celery salt so I doubled the garlic powder and added a bit of worchestershire sauce. I also browned the meatballs in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 before transferring them to the slow cooker where they cooked in the sauce on high for about 2.5-3 hours. I was afraid the sauce would be bland but it was not. An easy meal perfect with a salad and garlic bread. Definitely a keeper.

The recipe I remember growing up, had used tomato soup. My family isn't a big fan of tomato-based sauces except on spaghetti or pizza. I took inspiration from suchaprincess' review to make it more beefy, and used 1 can of tomato soup, 1 packet of mushroom gravy mix, 3/4 soup can of water, a dash of worcestershire sauce, and two beef bouillon cubes, as the gravy. I also used Minute Rice, and cut the water in the meat mixture to 1/4 cup. I omitted the celery salt and added a dash of worcestershire sauce instead, and added one beaten egg. It's in the oven right now, and smells amazing!

I added quinoa instead of rice and it was an instant hit!

So good! I used ground turkey (97/7) instead of beef, they seemed a little loose when I was forming them, maybe because there's less fat (?) but they held together really well during cooking. I thought with the salt, celery salt, and tomato sauce that it would be too salty, but it wasn't at all. We served them over mashed potatoes-YUM!

After many years of making porcupine meatballs I finally discovered where they got their name. I pulled the lid off the pan and discovered little balls of meat with quills coming straight out. It was cute. These balls are great!

I absolutly LOVE this. THe celery salt is a tad overwhelming, however when you mix everything together, cook the meatballs, and then toss it in the crock pot..mmmm delious. thanks

Was okay but feel like it was still missing something.

Definitely a 5 star recipe! Easy to throw together, ingredients I always have on hand, and super tasty! Made as written, was tempted to throw an egg in the meat mixture because it seemed wet but stuck with directions. Served with salad and garlic bread (a must to soak up all the yummy sauce). Thanks for sharing, brought back good memories from family dinners growing up.

OMG!!! soo good! my kids devoured these and asked if i would make this every night.. I used 3 cheese pasta sauce and i pre-cooked my rice only because i read on another site that it may take quite a while for the rice to cook and I'm not one for crunchy rice. I'm making them again to night. :)

Very simple and quick to make. It was a common dish when I was younger made by my grandmother. Thanks for the recipe!

Really good just as written. I double it just to make sure we have leftovers!

My family loved this recipe. Made it in the oven, but I should have doubled the recipe because it went over so well!

Yummy... perfect comfort food on a cold day!! Didn't change a thing will definitely be making again!!

Easy to make Hubby likes alot

Delicious ! Similar to recipe given by dear friend. Made it with 1/2 lb lean ground meat (2 in family), added more oregano & 1/4 c instant rice. Great meal in about 30 minutes, son & a close friend truly enjoyed it, served with lots of sauce, Yummy! Next time I'll use 1 lb for some leftover sandwiches. keenpetite

Wonderful!!! My family LOVED them!!! Will fix again soon now that its getting cooler out!

YUMMY! I even left out onion and celery salt because I didn't have them .. going to try it with and I'm sure they will be even more delicious!! Make sure to cover when cooking in the oven or the rice won't cook ;)

I've been making this recipe since I was a kid! (many years) I've tweaked it over the years with more seasonings, a bit of hot sauce, etc. but this is the basic recipe I have been using. It's always popular with my family even though it is very basic home cooking. I don't always brown the meatballs first if I don't have time, if you get the sauce boiling in the pan, you can just drop the balls in gently and they will hold together. Or, you can brown them in the oven as others have done to cut back on time. I love the nostalgia of this dish. Sometimes we serve them with baked potatoes, or spaghetti squash or on toasted french sandwich rolls.

A childhood favorite of mine! I made it last night and everyone loved it! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Melinda!

We baked them in the oven and used a mixture of dried onion soup and a can of mushroom soup in place of tomato sauce. We also sauteed onions, carrots, and celery before adding to hamburger. Added sauteed mushrooms before serving over mashed potatoes. DELISH!!

Made this for my family tonight, after a 30+ year old recipe disappeared. This was even better than my old Good Housekeeping recipe. But I did add more rice. Thank you so much for sharing.

I thought this was really good. I didn't change a thing, and I won't next time either. Thanks for the recipe!!

My whole family loved these meatballs! I used brown rice instead of rice, baked them, and served them over rice, which was great with the tomato sauce. I will definitely be making these a lot.

MADE AS DIRECTED BY THE RECIPE. We liked them but it wasn't out of this world good. My changes for the future would be maybe a little more rice, a little more garlic (real, not powdered), a little more pepper. As for the sauce, I think using 80/20 beef allowed more flavor to transfer to the sauce. I'd probably use a little less water too. I'll make again.

This was great!

Browned and threw in the crock pot,used instant rice turned out great

Good basic recipe. I'll experiment from here.

Really good, and a big hit with my family. We ended up eating them with spaghetti, and my husband even commented it was better than the jar sauce he usually likes. Definitely a keeper.

Am I missing something? These were bland and the rice was uncooked. My 6 year old made these for us (with my help) for dinner. I can't understand why people add things to a recipe and then rate it. I made the recipe as written.

My Husband makes them and they are a big hit!!!!!

Didn't think they had much flavor, probably will go back to my standard porcupine meatball recipe. Family didn't care for either

Fantastic just as it is!

I made these but did some altering as suggested by another cook. Most of the recipes called for instant rice and I didn't want to use that so was glad to find this recipe. Mixed the ground beef with worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic salt, pepper and an egg along with the 1/2 cup of water. For the gravy I used 2 packages of onion soup with 2 cups of water. Whoa...way to salty so I added about 1/2 cup of half and half. Then I mixed about 1/3 cup of water with two tablespoons of cornstarch...and cooked the gravy in a pan on top the stove. I then poured that over the meatballs after they cooked for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. I added the gravy onto of the meatballs, covered and continued to bake for another 30 minutes. My husband said, "you can make this one again!" Clean plates by all!!! Yum!!

I don't eat much beef so I used ground turkey and totally loved this. Quick, easy and is so open for a different variety of ideas. Gravy instead of tomato sauce or add hot peppers for spice. I can see using this recipe based off of what I have in my cupboard.

LOVE THIS RECIPE!! I make it as is & my family eats it right up!

Easy to make & taste so good.

I didn't add the water to the meatballs. Instead I added one egg and 2 heaping tbsp of horseradish sauce.

Delicious! Changed: tomato soup for cream of mushroom. Added: chipotle (pepper and hot sauce), cumin, cilantro, red pepper since we live on spicy. I'm excited that the recipe was a success since meatballs and I don't get along yet. All went well, right down to the rice being cooked perfectly!

Very good recipe. I tweeked it by sautéing the onions before adding to the gb and I added 1 Tablespoon vinegar to the sauce to brighten it. I used the oven method and it came out great.

I'll make it again. This is the same recipe that I used to make years ago. I looked it up. My daughter loved it and rice was suddenly a good thing. The best part is that this recipe used tomato sauce instead of tomato soup. It's a big difference in any recipe.

They were pretty good, but I would reduce the salt next time. I used vegetable stock in place of water, family enjoyed them.

Love this recipe! I often add an extra 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (and adjust the seasonings to match) to give it that extra sauce that everyone loves!

Followed recipe as listed ( did add a pinch, literally, of minced garlic). Meatballs came out delicious. I did let them simmer for almost 2 hours … longer the better. Even my fiances apprehensive 7 year old son ate not just one, but TWO (even though he said he wasn’t hungry, and maybe isn’t the biggest fan of rice). Only change I will make when I make this again is to make the meatballs themselves half the size, so I get 24 … but that is a personal preference. Great recipe, looking forward to making this one AS IS again, and again, and again!

Everyone loved this!

very bland for our taste but a simple meal

Super easy and super good. Of you don't have celery salt just chop celery very fine and moderate the salt. I used bet broth as a substitute for the water. Great choice. I also added a pinch of sugar to the sauce. it was absolutely delicious and super cheap

I really enjoyed the Porcupine Meatballs, I do however have that feeling it's missing something as far as seasonings. But they are still very yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Excellent AS WRITTEN!

I tripled the recipe and added fresh basil to the sauce... it is a wonderful recipe!

Loved this meal as a kid and fix it for my family now. I melt shredded cheese over the top of it when it is done. I also cook corn as a side dish, so that those of us who want to, can mix in the corn with the meatballs.

These were ok, but i am going to experiment with other recipes. Also, dont forget what one of the steps says---- keep adding water to the sauce if it seems dry. i barely had any sauce :( but as for the meatball itself, it tasted a little plain. also, it was hard to keep together. maybe ill add egg next time?

This is my Mom's recipe as well! I sometimes make it with a can of Campbell's condensed tomato soup, which was actually I think the original recipe on the back of the soup can. This was the most requested item when I was a kid in the 1970s, for school functions, church functions and at home it was a big fave as well, with all 3 kids and Dad. It's now requested by my church group and friends and husband as well.

You know, this is just the best recipe ever for porcupine meatballs, and it is so easy and simple. Porcupine meatballs were a favorite of mine growing up in Iowa. I cooked them for years for my own children. But, I never really had Mom's recipe, and with old age things fade. So, I went to Allrecipes, and was so happy I did! The first time I made them, I ate all 12 by myself, 4 for dinner, 2 for breakfast, 3 for lunch and, 3 for dinner. I didn't intend to alter the recipe, but used home canned tomato juice, because I didn't have sauce and it is 70 miles round trip to a grocery store, added a pinch of sugar and Italian spices. Otherwise, I wouldn't mess with this recipe one bit! Pure perfection!

I don't know how this got such a high rating... very bland. I had to add a ton of ketchup to it so that it had some flavour. Wouldn't make it again.

We love this recipe! We've made it over and over since finding it.

I wish I had read the reviews before making. I used regular long grain white rice, not instant. Did them in the oven, and now am simmering them on the stove. The meatballs were done, but the rice was still somewhat crunchy. Hoping this works! Tastes good with the exception of the crunchy rice!

I too thought this was the best porcupine meatball recipe I have ever used. I made no changes and let them simmer until the sauce was thickened and clung to the meatballs. The rice was cooked tender but not mushy and I loved that this recipe was not too salty, although I guess I did make one change. I only used one-half teaspoon of salt instead of a whole teaspoonful

I followed this recipe exactly and loved it! Only reason I could not give it 5 stars was because my rice was a little on the crunch side after cooking for the recommended time. Some of the rice on the outside of them looked done, but definitely not on the inside. Not sure what I did wrong, but I will definitely try this recipe again, maybe cook the rice first? I'm not sure, but that's the only thing I need to work on. Other than that, I loved the overall flavor of this dish! I served them with a side of mashed potatoes and buttered cooked cabbage!

This was a recipe my childhood daycare provider put in her "favorites" cookbook, so I grew up on this. It takes me waaaaaay back to when I was young, and it's the perfect comfort food for me.

same recipe i've used for years

This recipe was okay. The sauce is very unflavorful, as well as the meatballs. I like bland foods, and this was too plain for me. I added a lot of other spices to the sauce. The meatballs were fine. We wrapped ours in cabbage leaves and baked them, and the meatballs themselves came out fully cooked and they tasted fine, but completely non-exciting. Won't bother making this one again.

I was babysitting my "Pasta Pickups" - - only - - 3 year old. I remembered that his daddy loved this when he was that age. His parents are in the middle of moving into a new home so all we had was the rice, beef and tomato sauce. He LOVED it! He ate four!!!! WOW! Thank you for this recipe! You should post this to a parents of toddlers page!

I'm not making this again...I followed the recipe. But the meat wouldn't hold together...needed that egg someone mentioned. The family wouldn't eat any more of it than they had to--the remainder got tossed out.

It was delicious! I had some leftover cooked white rice. I used that instead of uncooked. I used a little under a cup of the cooked white rice because any more and the meatballs were falling apart. Do NOT add the 1/2c water to the meat mixture if you are using precooked rice. It isn't necessary. Other than that I did the recipe as written and it was great. My meatballs did break a smidge while cooking for 30 minutes but not bad. I know people say this is bland but it isn't. It's made to be a very subtle dish. I don't like bland food and this was just right. I will add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar to the sauce next time to give it almost a meatloaf topping flavor.

Have tried several recipes, trying to find the one my Mother made while I was growing up. Boom... found it! These are by far my favorite. I know everyone has different taste but, for me these are spot on.

Very tasty! I didn't have tomato sauce in the pantry so I used 15 ounces of a roasted red pepper pasta sauce I had, which adds other flavors too. I read in some other reviews that they wanted more flavor, so I increased the garlic powder to half a teaspoon as well as the black pepper and substituted half a teaspoon of dried basil for the celery salt. Some thought that the fluids were too much but it is actually perfect and results in a moist, large meatball with a nice texture. The rice I used was a long grain white rice and it cooked to fluffy and soft and all in all, my hubby gave the meatballs an 11 out of 10! Texture, flavors, cooking time in the oven was all perfect. I just removed the meatballs from the pan once browned to my pyrex dish with the lid and the cooking time @ 350F was perfect with 45 minutes covered and another 15 uncovered. I would say, use the spices/herbs that you enjoy!

Everyone loved these. I did change something's. I used Italian bread crumbs instead of fresh and I took a half of cup warm water and let the rice soak for 10 minutes (helps with it being not crunchy.

I've looked high and low for my old recipe for porcupine meatballs and with no success so I was happy to find it here. When my kids were still at home, I made it often. We all liked it . I prefer to bake it so I use lean ground beef and add a couple of teaspoons of brown sugar to the sauce. We also like it with chopped green peppers. I put some of the sauce into the bottom of the pan, add the peppers, the meatballs, the sauce and more peppers. It's nice with a side of fresh corn off the cob. So good.

Very tasty but a little too acidic for me

This recipe is great just the way it is. Thank you, It is the way my mom used to make porcupine meatballs except she used a pressure cooker. The review from "suchaprincess" who said they made this into patties and made a gravy and onion mix...well that's Salsbury steak not porcupine meatballs. completely different recipe....

Made this without the tomato sauce and extra water. They were excellent with a mushroom gravy.

Followed recipe exactly and the mixture was so slack that it would not keep its form when turning over in the pan during the browning process. I end up with a sauce with floating rice and meat bits trying to salvage what I could. There is no binding ingredient in this recipe, such as an egg. I think the oven method would have perhaps been a better choice. Also wondering if altitude had anything to do with it.

Our family enjoyed this recipe. It could use a little more flavor & salt, but other than that we liked it.

I made these according to the recipe except for the celery salt. I didn’t have any so I used a bit of celery seed. The meatballs were pretty good but I didn’t care much for the sauce. I decided to use this recipe over the others because it didn’t call for tomato soup—I’m not a big fan of tomato soup. It’s probably just me but I think I would like these better I’m a marina type sauce.

Made this recipe exactly as called for, except instead of a cup of water in the sauce I reduced the water to a half cup and added a half cup of beef broth. Flavor was ok, but generally way too salty for me. My rice didnt cook completely, so I recommend instant rice. I made roughly 20 meatballs and simmered them for 45 minutes.

The meatballs were great!just the way the were, I would not advise baking it though put it on the skillet for about 30 min then mix the brown sugar tomato sauce and wolk. sauce in a pan and simmer the meatballs with it for about an hour. use some celery salt and garlic poweder and parsely also

You must use egg or the meatballs will fall apart. The celery salt is too much, next I will reduce by half. I used instant rice. This recipe is a great starter but I needs a few changes to be 5 stars.

This recipie is so awesome that I had to make another batch that same week because of popular demand

Very tasty. This is a keeper for us. We are it so fast I forgot to take a picture.

I actually was kind of disappointed with this. The meatballs were actually perfect- it was the sauce that didn't impress me at all. I found it very bland and missing some zip. I had read one of the reviews before making it and someone had suggested using vinegar in the sauce which I think I will try that next time in hopes it gives it the zing that I felt it lacked. My guy loved it though so I will definitely give it another go.

Having on 'off day' made this harder than it really is....the recipe is good although I did not measure anything. The only thing I did different was brushing the meatballs with butter before the tomato sauce-ing, and instead of water I used chicken broth. The family loved it! Why would I brush it with butter you ask? That's part of the 'off day'. Sent my brother to the store and I forgot to add the tomato sauce to his list. Butter sounded like a good way to keep me busy and maybe keep the meat from drying while my husband stopped by the store on his way home from work...and then! If you forget to cover this the rice won't cook (a duh moment for me). ~2 hours in the oven (was watching a movie so I was extra patient) and it clicked. You only need 20 minutes covered at that point if you too, have an off day and forget to cover it before baking in the oven. Still turned out delicious! My husband rolls his meatballs in tortillas if you want to save silverware. ;)

I made it as is, just doubled the sauce. While the meat seemed to loose at first (watery), they ended up being very moist and delicious. They are a little loose when browning so care is needed when turning, but even though I made a note to adjust next time, I ended up scratching that out. Yummy. My husband was a fan as was my 2 yr old granddaughter.

I have had this recipe for 40+ years & it is a family favorite! Our adult son & both grandsons ask for this for their birthday dinner nearly every year! I have only made it in the oven - & with 4 lbs of ground beef, increasing all other ingredients to match. (I told you they love it!!) If baking in the oven, cover with foil for the first 45 min., removing for the last 15-20 min to get a good browning.

As far as the meatballs went, this was really good tasting. My husband likes gravy so I left out the ingredients to make the tomato sauce. I was in a hurry and was afraid the rice wouldn't soften, so I cooked the water and minute rice and then mixed into the meat mixture. Also, because of my family's taste, I cut kosher salt by half. I will definitely make again.

Awesome recipe!! My whole family raves, so any suggestions are only for kicks. I want to try and add an egg, some Worcestershire sauce and a tiny bit less water in the meat mixture. I always forget to do this and worry that the meatballs will fall apart. But, for the most part they don’t and any bits that do just add to the sauce. Thanks!

I doubled the meatball ingredients but only single amount of tomato sauce ingredients. Added 1 Tbsp honey to tomato sauce plus about tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/16 tsp cayenne. I’m glad I added the additional seasonings to sauce. But next time I will double the sauce too. The meat balls absorb the sauce! I often double recipes for a quick “planned-over” meal a few days later.

I really like this recipe because it is the one my Mom used back in the day! It is identical to the one in the old Betty Crocker cook books and it even has the too large amount of water that makes the meatballs so loose. I cut the amount of water down to a 1/4 cup, subbed in for the Cream of Tomato Soup for the tomato sauce and I soak the rice in water for 15 minutes to get them ready to cook faster, otherwise they come out a bit more al dente than I like. I really should try it w instant rice instead. Using a full 30 ounces of soup helped the rice cook softer. I gently turn the meatballs when I uncover them after 45 minutes in the oven. I think my Mom shredded old bread and added it to the meatballs but I am not sure she did it all the time or how it changed the rest of the recipe. Sometimes I add either 1 Tbs Calabrian chili sauce or a teaspoon of Mediterranean Mix spices to give it a different taste. This is a fun recipe to play with!

I have been searching for the right recipe and this one reminds me of the one I used to make back in elementary school in the early 80s. This one is a keeper!! I even like the oven option.

I added an egg to keep the meatball from falling apart and baked it in the oven. The rice was not instant-rice, as some other comments had suggested, and I encountered the issue where the rice was still quite hard -- definitely more than a bite to it. Instead of garlic powder, I added 3 cloves of diced garlic. Overall, it was pretty bland and I was disappointed by the undercooked rice, but it was edible.

My kids love these meatballs! I follow the recipe exactly and they turn out great every time. Definitely a regular meal at our house.