Porcupine Casserole

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An easy rice bake based on the classic retro recipe for Porcupine Meatballs made with ground beef, rice and tomato sauce topped with cheddar cheese.

This recipe was inspired by the old-school classic meatballs made with rice served with a simple tomato sauce. When the meatballs cook, so does the rice, which pokes out of the meatballs in a prickly fashion that well, kinda looks like a porcupine!

I only ever had the original meatballs a time or two as a child but I always remembered them! Most people remember vacations and treehouses from their childhoods, I remember food. Very clearly and precisely. Maybe that why I grew up to be a recipe writer?? It sure explains the size of my rear-end anyway! 

The recipe stuck with me, and as I was laying in bed one night thinking about the meatballs (doesn't everyone? no??), I figured the key ingredients would make a spectacular casserole! So when my fridge and pantry had everything I needed to try it, I jumped on it this morning!

I LOVE THIS RECIPE. OK, I know all food bloggers say that about everything but I really, genuinely do! Probably because it has rice in it (Amen?) but also because it's a lot like a few other casserole recipes I love that use ground beef and sausage with rice.

One of the first recipes I ever shared, Sausage & Rice Casserole (y'all excuse the old photos) is still one of my all-time favorites. It's the reason I added celery, but I'll get to that in a minute!

8 KEY INGREDIENTS & WHY WE USE THEM

I was pretty deliberate in crafting this recipe because some of the ingredients are musts in the meatballs. I added a few things to make this a well-rounded casserole and something that tastes as good as it is easy to make!

1 - GROUND BEEF - Don't use a super lean mix. We need a little fat to make it yummy (plus this makes a whole 13x9 casserole so the drippings from one pound won't be all that much. I used an 80/20 mix in this batch and it was perfect.

2 - UNCOOKED WHITE RICE - The "porcupine quills" in the meatball recipe were made of uncooked rice. Use uncooked extra long-grain white rice. I don't know how to convert this to brown rice or Minute Rice.

3 - CANNED TOMATO SAUCE - the original meatballs are cooked in a zesty tomato sauce so we're just adding a can with the broth to help flavor the rice.

4 - CELERY - OK, I went out on a limb here. But for two good reasons! A lot of the porcupine meatball recipes I've seen have celery salt in them so the flavor is right. But also because celery is so good in the other rice bakes I mentioned above! You can leave them out but consider adding celery seed or celery salt if you do.

5 - SPICES - The traditional tomato sauce is not a "spaghetti sauce" sort of sauce so I didn't add Italian spices. It's more like what you'd expect with cabbage rolls or stuffed peppers. We're only using salt, pepper and garlic powder.

6 - SUGAR - I made this with 2 teaspoons sugar and it's just the right amount. See the note above about what the meatball sauce tastes like. If you omit the sugar, you might be disappointed. You could probably substitute the tomato sauce and sugar for one can on tomato soup (since it has a good amount of sugar in it).

7 - WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE - Don't skip this either. Since there aren't a ton of spices here, we need some umami and Worcestershire is perfect for this. 

8 - CHEDDAR CHEESE - Here I am... still out on that limb. There's no cheese in Porcupine Meatballs. But come on! Don't you look at this and agree the cheese is perfect on top?! You can absolutely leave it off. You could add more too - especially if you're trying to entice the kids to eat porcupines 😋

6 REASONS TO TRY THIS RECIPE

1. To see the looks on your family's faces when you tell them what's for supper.
2. The rice cooks PERFECTLY in this.
3. It's a simple recipe that will easily feed six.
4. The leftovers heat up like a dream!
5. It's a fun throwback to a classic recipe.
6. Recipe includes stovetop instructions for a 30-minute, one-pan skillet meal.

Recipe for Porcupine Casserole

Porcupine Casserole

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

An easy rice bake based on the classic retro recipe for Porcupine Meatballs made with ground beef, rice and tomato sauce topped with cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups uncooked white rice
• 1-lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 3 cups beef broth or bullion
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add rice to a 3-quart 13x9 baking dish.
2. Cook and crumble ground beef with salt, pepper and garlic in a large skillet over high heat until halfway cooked. We want a good sear before adding the vegetables.
3. Add onions and celery then continue cooking over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through and celery is somewhat tender.
4. Add broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire and sugar to skillet then bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning then add more if desired.
5. Pour hot beef mixture into baking dish over rice then stir.
6. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil then bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
7. Uncover dish then top with shredded cheese. Replace foil then let dish rest 5-10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Alternative Stovetop Instructions:

1. You will need to use a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Cook and crumble ground beef with salt, pepper and garlic in a large skillet over high heat until halfway cooked. We want a good sear before adding the vegetables.
3. Add onions and celery then continue cooking over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through and celery is somewhat tender.
4. Add broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire and sugar to skillet then bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning then add more if desired.
5. Add rice PLUS 1/2 cup water or additional broth then return to a boil.
6. Stir well, cover, then cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally with a fork the first 15 minutes of cooking then do not open the lid.
7. Uncover skillet then top with shredded cheese. Replace lid then let dish rest 5-10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Notes

• See Key Ingredients & Why We Use Them above recipe card if you have questions about ingredients or substitutions.
• If you'd like a little sauce to drizzle over top, consider using a can of condensed tomato soup. Simply heat without adding water then serve overtop like a gravy.
• Feel free to omit the cheese or use a different variety.
• Sausage could be substituted for the ground beef. It would be delicious but not in keeping with the original porcupine meatballs recipe.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2026/03/porcupine-casserole.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2026

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