When I was growing up, my mommy dearest would make the most wonderful, amazing meatballs. I loved them! They were huge and full of rice and covered in a tomato-y sauce. I thought she spent hours on these things, she had to have, they were so tasty!
I grew older (not up), moved out and kind of forgot about them. As I was working on my own recipe book, I remembered those delectable meatballs. I asked my mom for the recipe, thinking it would be for special occasions or weekends when I had some time to spend in the kitchen. How did I not ask her about these sooner? They are so easy! Now they are a regular staple for the boys and I to enjoy. They are still incredibly special but can be made any day of the week.
Porcupine Meat Balls
1.5-2lbs Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
2 eggs
1c. Instant Rice (white or brown)
1/3c. Water
1 clove Minced Garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
Salt and Pepper
1-2 cans Tomato Sauce (depending on how much sauce you like)
Mix all ingredients (minus the Tomato Sauce) together and form into balls. Depending on the fat content of the meat, you may need to alter the amount of water. You want the mixture to be wet (the rice will soak up a lot of the moisture) but it needs to be able to form into fist-ish sized balls. Place in deep baking pan about an inch apart.
Bake at 375 for 10-20 minutes. Once the meatballs have a decent crust on them, pour the Tomato Sauce over the meatballs and bake until done. About 20 more minutes.
I usually serve these with more rice on the side and some yummy veggies. So tasty!
