Porcupine Meatballs

There are some recipes that I make quite often, only to find that I've never blogged about them. This is one of them. Perhaps because I know that not everyone has a pressure cooker, perhaps just because I've been eating these my entire life (although my family used a different recipe when I was younger), I don't know why I haven't blogged about these. They are such a cute recipe, and they are very tasty, too. I loved these as a kid simply because of the cuteness factor. They are called porcupine meatballs because all the rice sticks out of the meatball like porcupine quills. They come together easily in the pressure cooker and always come out tender and delicious.

Porcupine Meatballs (adapted from my Presto pressure cooker manual)
3/4 lb lean ground beef (I used 90% lean)
1/2 cup white rice, uncooked (I use short grain)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 Tbs dried minced onion
1 cup tomato juice (I use spicy V-8)
1/2 cup water
8 oz can tomato sauce
Combine meat, salt, pepper, onion & rice. Shape into about 12 small meatballs. Heat tomato juice & water in pressure cooker. Drop meatballs into boiling mixture, top with tomato sauce. Close lid and cook for 10 minutes with pressure regulator rocking gently. Allow pressure to drop of its own accord. Serve over hot rice, spooning juices on top. Makes 3 servings of 4 meatballs.