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Learn how to make porcupine meatballs, the most tender and savory meatballs I have made yet! They are full of delicious fresh herbs and cooked in a savory and creamy tomato sauce that can be licked with a spoon! Plus learn the very fun reason why they are called "porcupine" meatballs!

How to Make Porcupine Meatballs


  • Author: Mila
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 0 people 1x

Description

Learn how to make porcupine meatballs, the most tender and savory meatballs I have made yet! They are full of delicious fresh herbs and cooked in a savory and creamy tomato sauce that can be licked with a spoon!


Ingredients

Scale

The Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 2 tsp Kosher or Sea salt

Creamy Tomato Sauce

  • 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 14 oz can tomato puree
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to broil on high.

Add all the onions and carrots to a Vitamix or blender. And puree until smooth. You can also grate the veggetables but I find this is much easier and faster!

  1. In a deep pot or casserole pan, heat butter or olive oil. Cook onions and carrots over low heat for 10 minutes until tender.
  2. Take 1/3 of the mixture aside and place into a large bowl. Allow the rest of the onions and carrots to keep cooking.
  3. Add the ground meat, rice,dill, parsley, salt and pepper to the bowl with the carrots and onions. Mix until well combined.
  4. Heat up a small pan with some olive oil or butter and place a tablespoon of the meat and rice mixture into the pan. This is your taster. It allows you to taste for seasoning.
    Adjust seasonings as necessary.
  5. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop, place meatballs on the parchment. There is no need to roll them and make them perfect. The best part is that they will look imperfect and make them look even more like porcupines!
  6. Place meatballs in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until gloriously brown. Depending on how strong your broiler is, you may want to place the meatballs on the second rack. Once your meatballs are done, change the oven temperature. Set it to 300°F.
  7. In the meantime, continue working on your sauce. Add garlic to the mixture and continue cooking over low heat for at least 15 minutes until tender and super aromatic. Add dill, parsley, pureed tomatoes and if needed to thin it out, add a bit of water, ½ a cup at a time. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
  8. Take off the heat and stir in sour cream. This is important because otherwise your sour cream will break! Add the meatballs back to the pan and spoon the sauce over them. The sauce should nearly cover them. If it doesn't, add a little more water to thin it out.
  9. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place into the preheated 300°F oven. Again, DO NOT increase the heat, because you will run the risk of the cream seperating! Cook for 35-40 minutes until super tender.
  10. Finish with more dill and parsley if desired and ENJOY!

Notes

  1. For optimal and easiest results, cook the rice according to my super simple pasta method!
  2. Always fry up a sample first!!! That way you can see if you need to adjust the seasoning!
  3. If you are making this a Keto or Lowcarb recipe… feel free to leave out the rice!  The flavor will still be FANTASTIC! 
  4. Nutritional values are to be used as a guide.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Main Entree
  • Cuisine: Russian