Porcupine Meatballs

Enjoy a super delicious ground beef recipe with this Porcupine Meatballs recipe filled with fabulous Italian seasoning.

This homemade meatball recipe is known to be a recipe from the great depression as a way to stretch food and fill up on tomato soup, white rice, and ground beef. However, with this classic meatball recipe, we will not be using any brown rice, long grain rice, or white rice. Don’t worry it is going to be your next family favorite recipe that is filled with a rich tomato sauce and a perfect meatball mixture made out of basic ingredients.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make porcupine meatballs, you need the following ingredients:

Sauce Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Sea salt, divided
• Garlic, chopped
• Tomato sauce
• Ground black pepper
• Dried oregano
• Dried parsley

Meatball Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Onion, diced
• Red bell pepper, diced
• Sea salt, divided
• Cloves garlic, chopped
• Ground beef (80/20 is best for flavor instead of lean ground beef); you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken instead
• Ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

• Skillet
• Mixing Bowl (Large)
• Baking Dish (9 x 13)
• Spatula
• Spoon (Slotted)

How to Make Porcupine Meatballs

Sauce Instructions

1. In a heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, season with ½ teaspoon sea salt, and sauté until translucent.
3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
4. Add the tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ground black pepper, dried oregano, and dried parsley and stir to combine
5. Bring the mixture to a boil before reducing the heat to low and simmering over low heat for 15 minutes.

Meatball Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉.
2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and the bell pepper, season with ½ teaspoon sea salt, and sauté until the onions are translucent.
4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ground black pepper, fresh parsley, and the cooled mixture of sauteed onions, bell peppers, and garlic.
7. With your hand, mix all of the ingredients together until a homogenous mixture forms.
8. Using your hands again, form the mixture into meatballs. Aim for 1.5 inches in diameter.
9. Add the meatballs to a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
10. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and mix gently to coat the meatballs in sauce.
11. Do your best to arrange the meatballs in a single layer.
12. Bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe Tips

Taste the sauce, make sure to season it to your liking. Some things you might consider adding to your sauce might be garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and even a little bit of brown sugar!

Store the meatballs for the next time you want to eat them the meatballs either in the container they were baked in covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge.

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