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Porcupine Meatballs

April 5, 2008 By Steph 15 Comments

My husband first introduced this recipe to me after we got married 7 years ago. I really didn’t know a lot about cooking back then. I went away to college right out of high school and I basically lived on Mac-n-cheese and Ramen Noodles. I married at the ripe old age of 21 and hadn’t learned much more than that. When I met my husband, he was living with his Dad and they lived on Chicken Rice Bowls and Porcupine Meatballs. If you’ve never heard of Porcupine Meatballs, they are simply meatballs with rice mixed in with the meat and seasonings. They are very tasty and simple and take no time at all. These are a bit different than the average meatball, because they are actually ‘steamed’ in a pan of tomato soup. That is where a lot of the flavor comes from and it makes the meatball very tender. It may sound a bit odd together, but trust me that if you make this dish once, you will make it again and again. It takes 10 minutes to cook and seconds to devour!

Porcupine Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup instant rice
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley
2 cans tomato soup
3/4 cup water

Mix together rice, egg, cheese, and seasonings.  Add beef and mix until combined.  Place the tomato soup and water in a large saucepan that is placed over medium heat and mix until smooth. Roll meat mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Place meatballs in the soup, cover saucepan and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve meatballs with the remaining sauce.

Filed Under: beef, main dishes

Fettuccine Bolognese

March 4, 2008 By Steph 1 Comment


I love Italian food. And I also love the Food Network. And I also love Giada De Larurentiis. She is one of my favorite chefs. Her food is so simple, fresh, and delicious. I use her cookbook, Everyday Italian, more than any of my other books. One of my favorite dishes of Giada’s is her Simple Bolognese Sauce. It’s basically a meat sauce. Absolutely divine! It has so much flavor, and with her tomato sauces she adds celery, onion, and carrots, so I feel a little sneaky because my daughter will eat it and I can smile knowing she is getting some extra veggies for the day. I usually serve this sauce over spaghetti noodles, but tonight, I used fresh fettuccine. I love using fresh pasta whenever I can. I think it has a much better, fresher texture. This sauce is worth the hour that it takes to prepare. And, it tastes much better the next day as well! Can’t beat delicious leftovers!!!

Bolognese Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens,about 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese, then season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Filed Under: beef, main dishes, pasta