Porcupine Meatballs

          This is my mom's recipe for cabbage rolls...but I don't care for steamed cabbage.  So I just make the meatballs and her sauce.  The sauce is a sweet tomato sauce, but you could substitute your favorite barbecue sauce.   These meatballs are delicious with mashed potatoes.  

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef                    7.50
1/2 onion-diced                        .15
1/4 green pepper-diced            .15
2/3 cup instant rice                   .32
1 egg                                       .14
2 cans cream of tomato soup  1.08
2 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix the ground beef with the onion and green pepper.   Add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, the egg and the instant rice and mix until incorporated with your hands. 

Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch balls and place in 8x8 pans.   I was able to roll out 45 meatballs and I put 15 each into three pans.

In a separate bowl mix the tomato soup with two tablespoons of brown sugar.  Add 1/2 tsp of black pepper and stir.  Pour 1/3 of the sauce over each pan of meatballs.

Cover each pan with foil.  Label two of them and place them in the freezer.  Once thawed they will need to bake at 350 degrees for 45 min.  Here's how they look baked with a scoop of garlic mashed potatoes.

I was able to make three pans of meatballs for $3.11 each.  If you'd like to make these traditional cabbage rolls, then make the meat balls bigger and wrap each one in a steamed cabbage leaf.  Then secure each with a toothpick and cover with the same tomato and brown sugar sauce.   You'll need to bake them at least an hour to ensure they bake all the way through. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza