Porcupine Meatballs

The other night, I was looking for something simple to make for dinner, that wasn't the usual re-run.

Porcupine Meatballs it was!

So I compiled the ingredients and tossed some ground beef into a bowl... 

To the meat I added rice, onion, egg, parsley, pepper and some cream of mushroom soup... 

Then I stirred it up really well and took a quick glance over my shoulder to be sure that all was in order before I got my hands dirty...

Complete mayhem - All of the toys dumped out so they could play with the cubbies, Perfect... (ugh...)

So, I went for it... formed the meatballs, and placed them in my electric skillet.

Then I washed my hands and made the sauce - the remaining soup mix, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce and water - mixed it up real good and poured it over the meatballs.

Then I plugged in the skillet and put the lid on... wait a minute, something is missing... 

Oh, there, that's better! ;) 

Once the sauce came to a boil, I turned down the heat and let the meatballs simmer for about 40 minutes.  

Viola! There you have a Porcupine Meatball!  

This time they were served up with salad and some steamed sugar snap peas - Yum! On this particular occasion, I doubled the recipe, which worked out well, except for the excessive amount of extra sauce. There is definately no need to double the water, only a small amount may be needed to thin the sauce before pouring it over the meatballs. I ended up with a "pot of tomato soup" as Clayton put it!

Clayton did not want his picture taken... but Mr. Cole sure did not mind a bit! 

The credit for this recipe goes to my mom, who used to make it for us when we were kids. It's still my sister's favorite dinner! The notes on the recipe card she gave me mention that she found it in the Better Homes & Gardens "New Cook Book".

Porcupine Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 slightly beaten egg

1 Tablespoon parsley (use 1 tsp dry)

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 - 10 3/4 oz can condensed golden mushroom soup

1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup (maybe more) water

1 teaspoon Wocestershire sauce

Splash of BBQ sauce

Combine meat, rice, egg, parsley, onion, pepper and 1/4 cup soup mix. Mis thoroughly; shape into about 20 balls and place in skillet. Mix remaining soup, sauce, water, Worcestershire and BBQ sauces; pour over meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer 35-40 minutes. It says to stir often, but I don't. Makes 4-5 servings.

*Note: These do not work in the oven. An electric skillet is what I use, I am sure you can do them on the stove, but keep the heat low so the rice cooks.

Enjoy!

P.S. Thank you, Sarah, for your patience! I'd love to hear how it goes if you try them!