Porcupine Meatballs (1930s)

Porcupine Meatballs is a cheap, customizable comfort food recipe that derives its name from the rice included in the meatball mixture, which can poke out of the meatballs like the quills of a porcupine. While the first known recipe for porcupine meatballs dates all the way back to 1918, they became immensely popular during the Great Depression as a way to stretch more expensive beef with cheaper rice, onion and breadcrumb fillers. They remained massively popular through the 70s and are still a common meal today.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword 1930s, Cheap, Comfort, Meatball, Porcupine, Recipe, Rice, Tomato

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2 20

Servings 4 people

Cost $10

Equipment

Normal Kitchen Utensils
Crock Pot or Instant Pot (Optional)

Ingredients

1 Lb Ground Beef (or Turkey, Pork or Chicken)
3/4 C Rice Cooked
1 C Crumbs Bread or Cracker
2 C Water
1 Can Tomato Sauce 15 oz.
1 Small Onion Chopped
1 Clove Garlic Minced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Cayenne Powder (Optional)
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning (Optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Combine ground beef, rice, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne (optional) and poultry seasoning (optional) and form into 2 inch meatballs (roughly 20).
1 Lb Ground Beef, 1 C Crumbs, 1 Small Onion, 1 Clove Garlic, 1 tsp Cayenne Powder, 2 tsp Poultry Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to Taste, 3/4 C Rice
The next step depends on your method of cooking:
If baking, place the meatballs in a 9×13 baking dish. Mix the water, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the meatballs. Cover with foil and bake one hour at 350. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
If cooking on stovetop, place the meatballs into a wide bottomed pot and brown on one side. You can attempt to turn them and brown on multiple sides, but they really like to fall apart. Mix the water, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the meatballs. Simmer, uncovered, for at least thirty minutes until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Add more water if the sauce gets too thick.
1 Can Tomato Sauce, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 2 C Water
If cooking in a crockpot or instant pot, place the meatballs in the pot. Mix the water, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the meatballs. Slow cook on high for at least two hours. Four preferred.
Once cooked or baked, add salt and pepper to the sauce as desired.
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Serve five meatballs per person over rice.

Notes

The large amount of onion, rice and bread crumbs in these meatballs can make them really crumbly. That being said, it is nice to brown them before cooking in the sauce, but turning them on multiple sides is a gamble. Handle with care.
Another way to help the meatballs set better is to reduce the onion by half, grate the onion or add a raw egg as a binding agent.
I honestly do not add the optional ingredients because they are not how I am used to my family making porcupine meatballs. But, they are in the original recipe from 1918, so I wanted to include them as an option.
Worcestershire sauce is not an original recipe item, but is the ingredient that turned me onto porcupine meatballs in the first place. It really changes the flavor.

Porcupine Meatballs: A Depression-Era Classic with a Twist

Porcupine meatballs are a nostalgic dish that embodies creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen. Like the Oklahoma Onion Burger, these meatballs were born out of necessity during the Great Depression. Families stretched their limited budgets by combining rice with ground beef to create a hearty, satisfying meal. If you’re ever in Oklahoma, be sure to try an onion burger, another ingenious Depression-era creation made with thinly sliced onions smashed into beef patties.

The History Behind Porcupine Meatballs

The original porcupine meatballs recipe appeared in the cookbook Conservation Recipes. This practical guide provided families with affordable meal ideas, sharing space with dishes like Brains, Creamed Kidneys, and Kidney Sauté. While it might not be on most modern menus, this dish has stood the test of time. Its unique name comes from the way the rice sticks out of the meatballs during cooking, resembling little porcupine quills.

These meatballs remain a versatile option that you can easily adapt to your tastes. The classic recipe uses onion, but you can add celery and bell pepper for extra flavor. Want to spice things up? Try adding paprika, cumin, or chili powder to the sauce. Many families even swap condensed tomato soup for the tomato sauce, a throwback to mid-century convenience cooking.

Unique Takes

For those looking to explore global flavors, consider the Chinese-style recipe known as “Porcupine Meatballs Chinois.” This version is similar to dumplings but without the wrapper, offering a lighter yet flavorful alternative. Another intriguing variation is the 1969 recipe for “Porcupine Meatballs Paprika.” This version uses cream of mushroom soup as its base, creating a rich, comforting sauce perfect for cold evenings.

The beauty of this dish lies in their flexibility. Whether you’re sticking to the traditional recipe or experimenting with new ingredients, they’re a dish that welcomes creativity. Serve them with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the sauce, and you’ve got a meal that’s as comforting as it is delicious.

For another beefy, tomato-ey recipe, give this One-Pot Mac n Beef recipe a look!

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