Porcupine meatballs
Rice-studded zucchini meatballs in tomato sauce
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 500 g ground beef (1.1 lb, 15 or 20% fat)
- 200 g zucchini, grated (1 ⅓ cup, from 1 small zucchini)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 70 g breadcrumbs (½ cup)
- 1 tsp dried basil flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano flakes
- ½ tsp dried rosemary leaves broken into smaller pieces
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 200 g rice (1 cup, uncooked)
Sauce:
- 1 liter tomato soup (34 oz, your favorite recipe or brand)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 125 ml water (½ cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp dried minced onion
- ½ tsp dried oregano flakes
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Meatballs: Mix all the wet meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the dry meatball ingredients in a medium bowl, then add to the wet ingredients. Mix with your hands until evenly blended. Roll the meat into meatballs, about 3-4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) in diameter.
- Roll in rice: Put the 1 cup uncooked rice in a bowl, and roll the meatballs in the rice. Pat the rice into the surface to get it to stick better. Set meatballs aside.
- Prepare sauce: In a large pan with high sides for which you have a cover, whisk all the sauce ingredients together and bring to a simmer.
- Arrange the meatballs in the pan, in the sauce, and sprinkle in the unused rice. With a spoon, make sure all the rice is coated with some sauce, pushing the extra rice into the sauce.
- Cook: Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, until rice is tender but not too soft and meatballs are cooked through.