Oven Baked Porcupine Meatballs

Tender beef and rice meatballs baked in a rich tomato sauce make this easy porcupine meatballs recipe a hearty family dinner everyone will ask for again.

Course Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Resting time 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 495kcal

Author Deb Clark

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef 90/10
¾ cup long-grain white rice uncooked
1 small onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon catsup
For the Sauce
28 ounce jar pasta sauce
10.5 ounce can tomato soup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups finely chopped green cabbage

Instructions

Preheat to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
In a large bowl, gently combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, onion, garlic, egg, Montreal steak seasoning, catsup and milk.
Mix just until combined. Don’t overwork it. (If your steak seasoning is very coarse, crush it lightly in your palm before adding.)
Use a standard ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to portion evenly sized meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet. This makes about 15 meatballs.
Spritz the meatballs with nonstick cooking spray (this will help them brown). Bake for 15–18 minutes, until lightly browned but not fully cooked through.
In a 9x13 baking dish, stir together the pasta sauce, tomato soup, water, Worcestershire and cabbage.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Nestle the partially baked meatballs into the sauce and cover tightly with heavy duty alunimum foil.
Bake 50-55 minutes, until the rice is tender and the meatballs reach 160°F. Let rest covered with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you don't have heavy duty aluminum foil, use two sheets of foil. This is necessary to ensure the casserole dish seals, so the rice cooks and gets tender.

Porcupine meatballs are great for making ahead because the flavors only get better over time. You can prepare and bake the meatballs up to 2 days in advance, then store them separately from the sauce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and finish baking.

Refrigerate leftover, covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Just let them cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

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