This is a long-time family favorite. Much like my Chicken and Dumplin’ Casserole, it ain’t a pretty dish, but it sure is tasty!
This recipe is adapted from an authentic Hungarian recipe that was given to my mom when she was in her teens by a Hungarian neighbor (originally “Stuffed Cabbage”).
I personally prefer cabbage raw, in slaw (a vinegar-based slaw, not mayonnaise). I was a really picky eater as a child and to change things up (and make them easier to make) she made some changes to this recipe – the main one being the removal of the cabbage leaves. So, without further ado I present the crowd pleasing, yummy, porcupines…

PORCUPINES
Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef
1 ¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 egg (slightly beaten)
2 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil and/or oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together and portion them out into 7 baseball sized balls. Set them aside on a plate.
Sauce Ingredients:
2 Tbs butter
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 large can tomato sauce
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup chopped celery
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
In a large skillet (with a lid) melt the butter. Add the sliced onions to the pan and sauté them until they are glassy looking and tender. Add the celery and stir. Add the tomato sauce, water, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder then stir well. Place the meat balls into the skillet – evenly spacing them apart. Spoon sauce onto each one, then put the lid on the skillet. Cook on medium low heat for 1 hour.

Serve and enjoy.
We typically eat these with a side salad and/or a green vegetable.
What a throwback! Remember when we peeled back the cabbage and only ate the innards?