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'Pork'upine Meatballs

'Pork'upine MeatBalls

Shared by: Stephanie Foster

Stephanie loves making healthy, yet budget friendly meals for her family. “We love meatballs, so it seemed like the perfect pun for an easy meal using only ground pork. Ground pork is such an available, versatile protein and can be used in so many ways.” This classic family favourite pairs with pasta, rice or roast potatoes.

Prepping Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

35 minutes

# of Servings:

Serves 4-6

Prepping Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

35 minutes

# of Servings:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb (750 g) ground Ontario pork
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) instant long grain rice
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) each onion and garlic powder
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
  • 1 jar (650 mL) tomato sauce
  • 1 cup (250 mL) water or chicken broth

Cooking instructions:

  1. In a bowl, mix together pork, egg, breadcrumbs, rice, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper with your hands until well combined. Form into  1 1/2 inch (2 cm) balls and place on a plate.

  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

  3. Heat an oven safe non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add meatballs. Brown meatballs, turning once for about 3 minutes. Carefully stir in tomato sauce and water into the skillet.

  4. Place skillet into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn meatballs and return to oven for about 15 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink inside. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Barbecue/Smoker Variation: After browning the meatballs, take the skillet to the grill or smoker and finish baking them there for an added smoky flavour. Set your grill/smoker to 350ºF (180ºC).

If Stephanie’s collection of seven backyard grills isn’t proof enough she knows her way around local meat, her simple and delicious recipe will be.

Nutritional Information

The following nutritionals are based on one (1) serving:

Calories: 280

Protein: 13g

Sugar: 4g

Fat: 13g

Saturated Fat: 5g

Cholesterol: 100mg

Sodium: 860mg

Calcium: 30mg

Carbohydrates: 15g

Fibre: 1g

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Easy 'Pork'upine Meatballs

Stephanie loves making healthy, yet budget-friendly meals for her family. “We love meatballs, so it seemed like the perfect pun for an easy meal using only ground pork. Ground pork is such an available, versatile protein and can be used in so many ways.” This classic family favourite pairs with pasta, rice or roast potatoes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy Meatballs Recipes, Meatballs, Porcupine Balls, Pork Meatballs
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Ontario Pork, Stephanie Foster

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lb ground Ontario pork (750g)
  • 1 large egg
  • cup breadcrumbs (75 mL)
  • cup instant long grain rice (75 mL)
  • 1 tsp each onion AND garlic powder (5 mL)
  • ¼ tsp each salt AND pepper (1 mL)
  • 1 jar tomato sauce (650 mL)
  • 1 cup water or chicken broth (250 mL)

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together pork, egg, breadcrumbs, rice, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper with your hands until well combined. Form into 1 1/2 inch (2cm) balls and place on a plate.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
  • Heat an oven safe non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add meatballs. Brown meatballs, turning once for about 3 minutes. Carefully stir in tomato sauce and water into the skillet.
  • Place skillet into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn meatballs and return to oven for about 15 minutes or until meatballs are nolonger pink inside. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Barbecue/Smoker Variation: After browning the meatballs, take the skillet to the grill or smoker and finish baking them there for an added smoky flavour. Set your grill/smoker to 350ºF (180ºC).

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