Porcupine Balls

Last night, for a special treat, I made Porcupine Balls and Tater Tots for dinner. (Such a comfort food!) If you haven't had porcupine meatballs before (like I hadn't before I got married) you should give them a try. They are super easy to make, and taste delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 package beef flavor Rice-a-roni
• (or the equivalent 3/4 cup rice, 1/2 cup broken vermicelli or angel hair pasta, and seasonings)
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cups hot water

Directions:

1. Put the rice portion of the Rice-a-roni in a bowl along with the egg and hamburger. Use your hands to blend well and shape into small balls. (Trust me on the size here, when I first tried this I thought, burger shrinks when it cooks, so I'll make them a little bigger. But the rice and pasta expand as they absorb water - so they actually end up slightly larger than you form them. Important to note especially if you plan to use them in a bento lunch!)
2. Brown all sides of the meatballs in a skillet.
3. Add contents of seasoning packet (or your own seasonings if you aren't using packaged Rice-a-roni. I can't anymore because the beef version contains milk. So at this point I added beef bullion, a little bit of Lawry's seasoning salt, garlic salt, and parsley & little bits of carrot for color.) and hot water. Pour slowly over the meatballs, cover, and reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer for about 40 minutes. It may be necessary to add more water to keep the meatballs moist. Turn balls at least once during simmer so they don't burn.

Thanks to my mom-in-law for giving me this recipe!

Last night's dinner became today's lunch, as you can see. (I am loving my new microwavable bento box!) Alongside the Porcupine Balls are carrot slices and Tater Tots, with home grown parsley for a garnish. The top tier contains peaches that I canned with my aunt. They are tasty!

Enjoy!