Porcupines (Fish, Egg and Nut-Free, Can Be Soy and Wheat-Free)

Yes, finally! A non-dessert! :) I figured I better put in something for those of you who want to eat more than just cookies and sweets. ;)

This recipe is from my mom (Yes, I get most of my recipes from her. :) ). I am not sure where she got it, but I do know that it is a family favorite. Rest easy - it's not really porcupine meat, it just gets that name because of how the meatballs look. It a lot of fun to feed to kids because of the name, though. :)

Please note that this recipe is fish, egg and nut-free and has a soy and wheat-free variation listed below.

Porcupines

1/2 Cup milk

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon onion salt (I recommend McCormick's)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

1/3 Cup rice

1 can (10 3/4oz) tomato soup (I recommend Campbell's)

1 soup can (10 3/4oz or 1 1/3 Cup) of water

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF

2. Mix milk, cream of tartar, onion salt and pepper together well in large bowl.

3. Add hamburger and rice; mix well by hand.

4. Form hamburger mixture in small meatballs (about Tablespoon or so sized; should make 30 to 40) and place into a large, ungreased roasting pan.

5. Pour soup and water into now empty bowl and mix well.

6. Pour soup mixture over meatballs.

7. Bake covered for 1 hour, remove cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Variations: To make this recipe soy-free and wheat-free, substitute tomato juice (I recommend Campbell's) for the soup and water (around 2 2/3 to 3 Cups total). It will not taste exactly the same, and it will be a little more acidic, but it is still good. If you find it too acidic, you can always add a little sugar to cut the acid.  Note: I recently found out that Campbell's Tomato Soup (original) is soy-free, so if you don't need your recipe to be wheat-free, but you do need it soy-free, go with Campbell's. :)

  

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)