Oven Baked Porcupine Meatballs
Delight your taste buds with these hearty and flavorful Oven Baked Porcupine Meatballs, a comforting classic with a twist! Made with seasoned ground beef and studded with uncooked long-grain rice, these meatballs "puff up" during baking to give them their quirky porcupine-like appearance. Gently simmered in a rich tomato and Worcestershire sauce, every bite is bursting with savory, tangy goodness. This easy, family-friendly recipe is oven-baked for a hands-off cooking method, keeping the meatballs tender and juicy while the sauce thickens to perfection. Serve with mashed potatoes, al dente pasta, or crusty bread for an unforgettable meal that's sure to become a weeknight favorite. Cooking up in just under an hour, these Oven Baked Porcupine Meatballs are the perfect blend of nostalgia and practicality—comfort food made easy!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
- 0.5 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 0.5 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (canned)
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 0.5 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for greasing
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, chopped onion, beaten egg, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and dried parsley. Mix everything thoroughly but gently to avoid overworking the meat.
Form the mixture into 1.5-inch meatballs (you should get around 12-14 meatballs). Place the meatballs in the prepared baking dish in a single layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce to create the tomato sauce mixture.
Pour the tomato sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs, ensuring they are mostly submerged in the sauce.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil to prevent the sauce from drying out while baking.
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes and bake uncovered to slightly thicken the sauce and allow the tops of the meatballs to cook fully.
Once cooked, remove the meatballs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot alongside mashed potatoes, pasta, or a crusty piece of bread to soak up the sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
1916 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 111.7 g | 143% | |
| Saturated Fat | 40.0 g | 200% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 549 mg | 183% | |
| Sodium | 4254 mg | 185% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 135.4 g | 49% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 13.8 g | 49% | |
| Total Sugars | 32.5 g | ||
| Protein | 100.8 g | 202% | |
| Vitamin D | 1.8 mcg | 9% | |
| Calcium | 291 mg | 22% | |
| Iron | 18.0 mg | 100% | |
| Potassium | 3292 mg | 70% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
