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.
