Name: Porcupine Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup rice, uncooked; 1 egg; 1/4 sweet onion, minced; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup water; 1 pound ground beef; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 sweet onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 28- ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes; 1-3 chipotle peppers from a can in adobo sauce, start with one, add more to taste; coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Jump straight to the recipe here (but you'll miss a lot of good info)!

Porcupine Meatballs in a fantastic Chipotle Sauce that's perfect for an easy dinner or for a delicious party appetizer.

It's hard to believe but this is the first meatball recipe I've shared. Which is sort of strange considering I have meatball recipes coming out my ears. And considering that Porcupine Meatballs are one of my favorite things to make.

Have you heard of Porcupine Meatballs? They're really any type of meatball, any seasonings you like, with one exception: the meatballs are formed with uncooked rice. This means that they pretty much have to be simmered in some type of sauce (although it's a rare meatball that isn't) so that the rice cooks through. Personally, I like them with the rice just a tad undercooked; I enjoy the little crunchy bits. They're called Porcupine Meatballs because, as the rice cooks, it starts to poke out through the meat, often looking like little quills on a porcupine. To me they just look like dinner 🙂

The chipotle sauce that I've created here is, in my humble opinion, to die for. It has just five ingredients (minus the chopped cilantro sprinkled over the top) but that's all it needs. It would be a great candidate for a slow cooker, too.

Porcupine Meatballs with Chipotle Sauce - comes together quickly and the easy sauce is to die for!

You'll get approximately a dozen Porcupine Meatballs from this recipe which is enough for a family of four for dinner with a salad and bread. If you're making them for a party, I'd scale up to however many you think you'll need and cook them in a large Dutch oven or slow-cooker. They'd be great over pasta, too, especially with some sliced roasted jalapenos and a little melted cheese.

Porcupine Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

You'll love these unique meatballs and the sauce is to die for!

Ingredients

For the Chipotle Sauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28- ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
1-3 chipotle peppers from a can in adobo sauce, start with one, add more to taste
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the Meatballs

½ cup rice, uncooked
1 egg
¼ sweet onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup water
1 pound ground beef

Instructions

Make the Sauce

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic and ground cumin, cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently (turn down heat if garlic starts to brown).
Place onion mixture along with tomatoes and peppers into a blender or food processor; blend until very smooth. Set aside.

Make the Meatballs

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together all meatball ingredients except for ground beef. Once well-mixed, add ground beef and combine thoroughly (but do not overmix).
Wipe out skillet and place back on burner over medium heat. Add meatballs and brown well on all sides (do this in batches if necessary so you don't overcrowd the pan which will steam the meatballs rather than allow them to brown). Pour sauce over meatballs in skillet; bring to a strong simmer then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Cover skillet and simmer an additional 15 minutes or until meatballs and rice are cooked through. Season sauce to taste, garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 424Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 752mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 34g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Try the meatball recipes next:

Author
Recent Posts

Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is a five-time cookbook author, travel writer, and culinary instructor who has been developing recipes for national brands since 2009. A former personal chef, she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother before refining her skills at the Culinary Institute of America’s Boot Camp.

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Comments

Michelle Waller says

April 23, 2016 at 7:04 pm

I have never tried porcupine meatballs, but these look delicious. The next time I am making spaghetti I am going to make these.

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  April 25, 2016 at 7:08 pm
  
  Thanks, Michelle! I looove this recipe 🙂
  
Mary Frances says

May 07, 2015 at 6:58 pm

YUM! I can't wait to try this out sometime!

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  May 08, 2015 at 12:53 pm
  
  Thanks, Mary! It's one of my favorites, you'll love it!
  
Jennifer says

April 30, 2015 at 9:19 am

Love the name of this recipe! And the meatballs sound great. I especially love the cilantro addition!

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  April 30, 2015 at 2:25 pm
  
  I'm a cilantro FIEND 🙂 Thanks, Jennifer!
  
Susan@LunaCafe says

February 02, 2015 at 12:23 am

Homerun! I love this concept. Honestly, you had me at "meatballs, but the idea of including uncooked rice and then simmering in a delicious sauce is intriguing. Definitely going to try this.

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 02, 2015 at 4:53 pm
  
  I hope you do, Susan! You'll love them, promise 🙂
  
heather @french press says

February 01, 2015 at 3:20 pm

I had never heard of or eaten porcupine meatballs until this week, and now I a hooked. LOVE the chipotle sauce

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 02, 2015 at 4:52 pm
  
  That's great!! Thanks, heather 🙂
  
Jerry says

February 01, 2015 at 12:20 pm

Love, Love Love Porcupine meatballs! (In our house we call them hedgehog meatballs, due to the youngest's love of Sonic the Hedgehog.) I'm loving the idea of spicing them up a little to fit more adult tastes. This is definitely a retro recipe worth making over and over again!

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 02, 2015 at 4:51 pm
  
  That's too funny! You'll love the sauce, Jerry; I know you like your spice!
  
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says

February 01, 2015 at 9:01 am

And...dinner one night this week--solved!!! These looks delectable!!

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 02, 2015 at 4:50 pm
  
  Thanks, Dee Dee!
  
Barbara @SpiritedCook says

February 01, 2015 at 8:14 am

I love porcupine meatballs! Haven't had them in years! Are the chipotles in adobo or dried?

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 01, 2015 at 9:00 am
  
  Hi Barbara! The chipotles are in adobo sauce, thanks for asking!
  
Jameson Fink says

February 01, 2015 at 8:13 am

I am just as surprised as you that this is your first meatball recipe. I guess good things come to those who wait. The crunchy bits of rice would be a nice contrast to the meatball; I could eat a lot of these.

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  February 01, 2015 at 9:00 am
  
  Thanks, Jameson!
  
Shinee says

January 26, 2015 at 12:14 pm

Why on earth I've never tried porcupine meatballs?? Dying to try this recipe. Sounds delicious.

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  January 27, 2015 at 10:18 am
  
  You will love these, Shinee!!
  
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says

January 26, 2015 at 11:24 am

This looks so simplistic yet divine! I've made meatballs with rice, but had no idea they were called porcupine meatballs - you learn something new every day 🙂

- Kristy Bernardo says
  
  January 27, 2015 at 10:17 am
  
  They're good, aren't they? I love when the rice still has a bite to it 🙂 Thanks, Alisa!