Slow cooker porcupine meatballs are a retro classic that still earns a spot on the table today. Juicy little ground beef-and-rice meatballs simmer in a tangy tomato sauce until they’re as comforting as grandma’s afghan—but they smell way better. They’re easy, cozy, and bring way more kitsch to the table than hula dancer salt & pepper shakers.
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🗝️ Why I keep coming back to this recipe
Some recipes fade into the background—these slow cooker porcupine meatballs in tomato soup and V8 sauce sticks because it’s simple, satisfying, and guaranteed to feed a hungry crowd. *No porcupines were harmed in the making of this recipe.
- Cheap enough for payday week, cozy enough for Sunday supper.
- Uses pantry basics so you don’t have to put on pants and run to the store.
- The rice cooks inside the meatballs—lazy genius at its finest.
- Stretches a pound of ground beef further than your 90 year old uncle stretches the truth about his exploits at family reunions.
🧾 Ingredients for crockpot porcupine meatballs
The ingredient list for this easy, slow cooker dinner, is so simple you’ll swear something’s missing—but nope, that’s the beauty of it. Just a handful of pantry staples that pull off a retro dinner trick your Depression-era great grandma would absolutely approve of.
- Lean ground beef – because fat may equal flavor, but grease puddles on your plate are not the vibe.
- Uncooked rice – the secret weapon that makes these meatballs spiky little legends.
- Egg – the glue that holds this meatball family together.
- V-8 juice – not just for hangovers; it makes the sauce taste like you tried harder than you did.
- Salt & pepper – the bare minimum of adulting.
- Tomato soup (condensed) – the retro MVP that turns “meh” into mid-century magic.
Grab my free porcupine meatballs recipe kitchen cheat sheet—it’s like having me in your kitchen, minus the sarcasm and the side-eye when you measure salt with your heart instead of a spoon and then wonder why it's too salty.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs Recipe
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Meatballs
- 2 lbs lean ground beef, I use 90/10
- ½ cup uncooked rice, not Minute Rice
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup V-8 juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 21 ounces condensed tomato soup, 2 10.5-ounce cans
- ¾ cup V-8 juice, I use the spicy one
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- Few drops of hot sauce if desired
Instructions
- Mix meatball ingredients together.
- Form into 24 meatballs. You can freeze for up to 3 months at this point.
- Mix the soup and V-8 juice in the slow cooker.
- Add the meatballs and gently stir to make sure they are covered completely.
- Add the chopped onions.
- Set on low and cook for 5-6 hours, or until meatballs are cooked through (165℉) and rice is tender.
Notes
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They’ll taste even better once the sauce has had time to boss the meatballs around.
- Freezer: Freeze cooked or uncooked meatballs (with or without sauce) for up to 3 months.
- I prefer 90/10 ground chuck for this recipe that way there's not pools of grease floating on top when it's done.
- Be sure to use uncooked long grain rice - not Minute rice.
- Don’t add water or milk to the soup—this isn’t tomato bisque, it’s retro magic.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪How to put this porcupine meatballs recipe together
If you can stir, roll, and push a button, you can make these slow cooker porcupine meatballs. Follow along with the step-by-step images and you’ll have dinner handled before the rice in your pantry remembers it was supposed to be a side dish.
- Toss the ground beef, uncooked rice, egg, seasonings, and a splash of V-8 into a bowl. Get in there and stir like you mean it.
- Shape the mixture into meatballs—about two dozen, give or take depending on how generous you’re feeling. (Freeze them now if you’re planning ahead, which… bold of you.)
- In the slow cooker, whisk together the tomato soup and more V-8 juice until it looks like dinner instead of cafeteria mystery sauce.
- Add the meatballs, sprinkle on the onions, and give everything a gentle stir. Pop the lid on, set to low, and let it cook until the meatballs are done and the rice is tender—5 to 6 hours.
👩🍳 Stuff people ask
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Technically yes, but it takes longer to cook and can stay chewy. If you’re patient, go for it. If not, stick with white rice and save yourself the grief.
You can. I think you run the risk of them falling apart or being tough or potentially the rice not getting done. I haven't tried it though.
📚 More slow cooker comfort food
Craving more slow cooker comfort food? I’ve got plenty—soups, stews, and casseroles that simmer away while you finish that sewing project you started last June.
- Slow cooker swiss steak is tender beef simmered in a rich tomato-onion gravy until it practically falls apart on your fork. It’s retro comfort food that tastes like Sunday supper without the Sunday effort.
- Crockpot salisbury steak just like the diner down the street used to make it. Juicy patties swimming in oniony mushroom gravy—the TV dinner classic, only homemade and about ten times better. No foil tray required.
- Slow cooker cube steaks in gravy cook low and slow in savory brown gravy until they’re fork-tender and begging for mashed potatoes (or at least some bread to mop it up).
These meatballs play nice with simple sides—think broccoli salad you threw together last night or quick Southern green beans. One’s crunchy and make-ahead, the other’s sweet and fast, and both keep dinner from turning into a one color plate of boring.
Slow cooker porcupine meatballs may have been born in the mid-20th century, but they're still holding their own—kind of like your aunt’s Corningware collection.
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