Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs: A Cozy Comfort Food Classic
Juicy meatballs blended with uncooked rice, simmered low and slow in a rich tomato sauce—these porcupine meatballs are your ticket to warm, nostalgic comfort food made right in the crock pot.
Equipment
- 1 Crock pot (6 quart or larger)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground beef or mixed beef and pork
- 0.75 cup Uncooked long grain rice
- 1 Small onion finely diced
- 1 Egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 0.5 teaspoon Black pepper
- 15 oz Crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz Tomato sauce
- 21 oz Condensed tomato soup 2 cans, 10.5 oz each
- 1 cup Beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce for sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning for sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar optional
Instructions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix ground beef, rice, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, garlic and mustard powders with salt and pepper. Mix well but don’t overwork.
- Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a single layer in your slow cooker or pressure cooker pot.
- In a separate bowl, mix condensed tomato soup, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and sugar. Pour over meatballs.
- Seal the cooker and set to low for 7 hours or high for 3.5 hours.
- Once cooked, do a natural or slow release.
- Serve hot with mashed potatoes, noodles, crusty bread or salad. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
For a lighter version, use ground turkey or chicken. Optional: add bell peppers or shredded carrots. Don’t use instant rice.