Recipe By Request – Porcupine Meatballs

Basically a rice meatloaf molded into meatballs rather than a loaf, for faster cook time and easier serving. It’s a great hit with the kids, too. 😉 It gets its name from the rice which protrudes out on all sides, like a rolled up prickly porcupine. ( I dunno, maybe it’s a Southern thing.) 🙂

My mom used to make these a lot when I was a kid and we loved them. However, I’ve modified the recipe to include mexican rice mix instead of plain white rice. She also used to cook them in a pressure cooker if I remember correctly…

Sorry mom, I prefer the oven method. 😉

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Needed:

1 lb. ground beef

1/3 can Hunts Meatloaf sauce (reserve the rest for the last step)

1 egg

1 pkg Lipton Fiesta Sides Mexican Rice mix

1/2 c plain dry bread crumbs

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Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, reserving the rest of the meatloaf sauce for later.

Step 2: Lightly spray or grease an 8X8 or 9X9 baking dish. Form meat into 9 meatballs, approximately 2 – 2 1/2 inches in diameter and arrange them into the dish. (They cook best if they are evenly sized.)

Step 3: Spoon a tablespoon or so of sauce on top of each and then using the spoon, distribute the sauce evenly over the tops and down the sides of each meatball.

Step 4: Bake at 400 until the rice is done (should take between 30 and 45 minutes). In my experience, once the rice is cooked, the meat is done inside also, but I always check to make sure.

Step 5: Once the rice is done, top with the remaining sauce and bake for an additional five minutes.

Best served hot with mashed potatoes and your favorite vegetable, alongside a slice of oven toasted french bread. Enjoy!