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Tender Porcupine Meatballs are filled with ground beef and brown rice, bathed in tangy tomato sauce, and perfect for tonight’s dinner. And, they’re naturally gluten free.
Why You’ll Love These Porcupine Meatballs
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Hearty and flavorful, this porcupine meatballs recipe is sure to become a family favorite. They are one of mine – in fact, I called them Grandma’s Polish Meatballs because she used to make them for me based on the filling in her stuffed cabbage recipe.
Here’s why you’ll love this dish:
- Comfort food. Nutty brown rice and ground beef combine to make a super comforting and filling main meal. You can serve it with more rice, gluten-free noodles, or even make a meatball sandwich.
- Naturally gluten free. I love that we use rice in this meatball recipe rather than bread crumbs, keeping it gluten free. The rest of the ingredients needed are naturally gluten free, too.
- Great to make ahead. I love to double the batch of meatballs and save some for another time so I have a quick dish all ready to go. These porcupine meatballs freeze well and I’ve included all the details lower down for how to do so.
These were awesome. I served them with my homemade perogies and I could have eaten until I died. I even made a few with ground chicken that were awesome as well….great recipe!!! -Tammy
What Are Porcupine Meatballs?
Porcupine meatballs are meatballs that consist of ground beef and rice cooked in tomato sauce. They are typically baked in the oven to make a casserole. Porcupine meatballs were popular during the time of the Great Depression because the recipe needed just a few simple ingredients including beef, uncooked long-grain rice, onion, and, instead of tomato sauce, canned tomato soup.
These “rice meatballs” may have been given the name porcupine meatballs because the rice sticks out of the meatballs while they cook. In my version of porcupine meatballs, the rice is added to the meat already cooked, and the meatballs are finished in a skillet on the stove, to which tomato sauce is added. No oven is required!
Porcupine Meatballs Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make this porcupine meatballs recipe. The full ingredient amounts will be in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. Feel free to use vegan butter to make it dairy free.
- Onion: You can use a yellow or red onion in this recipe.
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef.
- Brown Rice: Learn how to make brown rice or you can use white rice.
- Egg: An egg helps to hold the meatballs together.
- Tomato Sauce: I used Hunt’s brand but you can use your preferred brand of sauce or use homemade sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
How to Make Porcupine Meatballs
Follow along below with my easy method for making this recipe for porcupine meatballs. Check the recipe card for the detailed instructions.
- Cook onions. Melt a pat of butter in a skillet and cook the onions.
- Form. Mix together the beef, cooked onions, rice, salt, pepper, and egg and shape it into balls.
- Brown. Melt some more butter and cook the meatballs in the skillet until browned on both sides.
- Add sauce. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle with brown sugar and salt and pepper.
- Cook. Bring the meatballs and sauce to a simmer, covered, until cooked through.
Variations & Tips for the Best Porcupine Meatballs
- Try a different sauce. While the traditional preparation of porcupine meatballs calls for red sauce, these would be wonderful with a mushroom soup sauce as well. You can use my Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe as a jumping-off point. Or just slather them in Gluten Free Brown Gravy.
- Use white or brown rice. I love brown rice in this recipe, but you can use white rice too. See my tips for how to cook white rice to help you make it perfectly.
- Add different meat. You can make this porcupine meatballs recipe with different meat in place of the ground beef. Try ground turkey or lamb.
- Make them vegetarian. You can also make this recipe in a vegetarian version. Add your favorite plant-based meat instead of beef.
- Tuck in some vegetables. To round out the meatballs a bit more, you can add chopped mushrooms or chopped baby spinach to the pan when you cook the onion. Then stir them into the rice and beef mixture along with the onion.
How to Store Leftovers
Porcupine meatballs keep well in the fridge and freezer. Here’s how to store them:
- Fridge – Place the cooled meatballs in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – You can freeze these porcupine meatballs cooked or uncooked. For cooked meatballs, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge before reheating. For raw meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 1 hour, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the meatballs in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.
- To Reheat – Place the meatballs in a skillet with some tomato sauce and gently reheat them over medium heat.
Make it a Meal
Porcupine meatballs can be served as a hot appetizer with toothpicks at a cocktail party, or even eaten cold as a quick afternoon snack. Of course, they’re also great for dinner. Here’s how to serve these meatballs:
- With salad. Keep it a light meal with the addition of a salad. Try my Roasted Asparagus Salad, Easy Greek Salad, or a Winter Fruit Feta Salad alongside a serving of porcupine meatballs.
- Potatoes. Make mashed potatoes or serve meatballs with easy potatoes cooked in the air fryer! My Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Air Fryer Ranch Potatoes would be perfect complements.
- Bread. Scoop up porcupine meatballs with homemade Gluten Free Naan Bread or soak up extra sauce wtih my recipe for Gluten Free Garlic Breadsticks.
- A vegetable. Balance a hearty portion of meatballs with a green vegetable, like Air Fryer Green Beans, Air Fryer Broccoli or Air Fryer Asparagus.
- Make a sandwich. You can make a simple meatball sandwich with gluten free bread! I like to toast slices of my Gluten Free Sandwich Bread and use it to make a warm and filling porcupine meatball sandwich or Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls for sliders.
Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¾ cup cooked brown rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 28 ounces tomato sauce (I used Hunt's)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt one tablespoon butter in a skillet, add the onion and sauté till tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, cooked onions (do not rinse the skillet, as you can use the same one for cooking the meatballs), cooked rice, salt, pepper, and egg, and gently mix together without overworking the meat. Using a scant ¼ cup for each, shape the meat mixture into balls.
- Melt another tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on each side, turning gently after nicely browned. This will take about ten minutes total.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs, sprinkle with the brown sugar, salt and pepper, and gently mix around slightly.
- Cover, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Did you make this?
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This is about the rice. Is it 3/4 cup after cooking it or before? Thank you in advance!
It’s after cooking. Sorry, I will clarify that!
These were awesome. I served them with my homemade perogies and I could have eaten until I died. I even made a few with ground chicken that were awesome as well….great recipe!!!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the meatballs, Tammy. Of course, now I’m hungry for perogies. 😉
I’m 100% Polish, 2nd-generation American. My Babcia on my dad’s side made a lot of traditional food, but it was my mom who taught me all the old recipes. She learned how to make all my dad’s favorite meals from Babcia, and I was always her helper. I didn’t like the cabbage either so my mom would always make some “klupsi” for me. I’m so glad to see your recipe and read about your babcia too! I was lucky enough to get my mom’s hand-written recipes, and now that I’m a grandmother I enjoy making traditional Polish foods for my granddaughter!
I’m so happy to hear that this Polish meatballs recipe is one you will enjoy making often, Theresa!
My wife is from a large polish family ( grew up in Milwaukee). Her gram was not a great cook, but she has fond memories of a few signature recipes. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad that this recipe could bring back some good memories for you. I hope you enjoy the meatballs!
Love the memories and the recipe. Can’t wsit to make them!
Thank you, Angela. I hope you enjoy the meatballs!
My grandmother always used Hunt’s too!! Everything she did was so so simple and basic and delicious! I miss her and her Polock ways. She definitely had the biggest heart! Thank you for sharing this!
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your grandmother, but I’m happy that you have warm memories of her, Kelly. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Love this website and this posting in particular. But the grammar police wish you would not say “taking my cousins and I to the park.” “Me” is the correct pronoun.
I don’t have an editor, and have a fairly stream-of-conscious writing style, so sometimes those little grammar mistakes squeak by. But I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Good comment Brianne, some people are just so negative and hateful.
Thank you for your support, Marie! 🙂
your grandmother sounds so wonderful and sweet-you were so lucky to have her <3 And these meatballs look so delicious-thank you for sharing it and your memories with us!
Beautiful tribute and wonderful memories. My mom’s side is Polish, too. I’m with you though, stuffed cabbage is not my thing! I think it’s the warm cabbage that throws me off. I should really try to make my Busia’s recipe now that I’m older, and hey, now I know I can always just do the filling as meatballs.
What a wonderful story Brianne! Those meatballs sound so good!
How funny you didn’t like her stuffed cabbage. I didn’t like my grandmother’s homemade pasta sauce and she made a version just for me so I would eat it.
What a great recipe! Your Grandma’s Polish Meatballs look out of this world. I love the recipe.
Those look wonderful! What great memories you have of your Grandmother.
She lives in my heart and mind everyday.
My mom used to make these all the time for my dad—and I loved them, too. Good idea making them without the cabbage—sounds like a good way for me to get Bill to ea them 🙂
Yep, best way to get my Bill to eat them too!
Moms say eat what’s on your plate. Grandmas make sure you like what is on your plate
Hahaha, love that!
Your grandmother sounds like a spitfire! Sweet of you to share such great memories about her, and this wonderful recipe for her meatballs. I’ll be certain to purchase Hunt’s when I make them
Oh she was!