Slow Cooker 'Porcupine' Meatballs

An updated version of a family-friendly classic dish called Porcupine Meatballs

This recipe dates back to the 1950s or 60s, and it’s one which my Mom makes quite often to this day. It’s a great meal to make with kids who will have fun shaping the meatballs and will probably love the look of the puffed-up rice sticking out of the cooked meatballs (hence the porcupine name). I’ve replaced the original recipe’s sodium-laced canned tomato soup with tomato sauce and broth and upped the seasonings a bit as well, to reflect today’s tastes. I really like to use a combination of pork and beef for flavourful, juicy meatballs. Don’t be alarmed by the inclusion of baking soda – it neutralizes the tomatoes’ acidity and makes for a much more flavourful sauce. And if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can easily cook the meatballs in a casserole dish in the oven. Cook up a double batch and freeze half for a super speedy supper the next time you need one.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground chicken, turkey, pork or beef

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

2 tbsp finely minced onion

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper

1 tbsp canola oil

2 cups low-sodium tomato sauce

1 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth (or water)

1 tsp each dried oregano and basil

Few shakes hot sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Put the ground meat(s) into a large bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the rice and put it in with the meat. Add the onion, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt and pepper and mix it all together with clean hands.

Form the mixture into about 20 meatballs (each slightly smaller than a golf ball) and place these on a baking sheet.

Slow Cooker 'Porcupine' Meatballs | YummyMummyClub.ca

Brown the meatballs in the canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat or, if your slow cooker has a stovetop-safe insert, perform this step on the stove in the slow cooker. You may need to do this in two batches so you have room to flip the meatballs as they are browning.

Drain off the fat then transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker (or an oven-safe casserole dish with a tight lid).

Combine tomato sauce, broth (or water) oregano, basil, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and baking soda and pour over meatballs. You want them to be completely covered so top up with a little bit of water if needed.

Cover and let cook in the slow cooker on low for 5 hours, or on high for 3 hours. If cooking in the oven, cook for 90 minutes at 350F.

20 minutes before meatballs are ready to serve, put the remaining 1 cup rice with 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then cover pan and immediately reduce heat to minimum. Fluff with a fork when cooked. Serve meatballs and sauce on top of rice.

Serves 4

Slow Cooker 'Porcupine' Meatballs | YummyMummyClub.ca