Life in Florida certainly has it’s many benefits and our sunny winter is one of them for sure. I’ve always been one of those people that is always cold. If everyone else is hot, I’m finally comfortable. Alas, I’ve learned to always have a sweater in the car, just in case, and it’s usually put to good use.
Even Florida has it’s “cold days”, and those are the times when I long for coziness and staying close to the hearth of my home. I love snuggling under a warm blanket with a good book, usually one that I picked from our shelves and have read countless times already. That’s the time to make a simple but comforting dinner. I like comfort food as much as any other person, but I prefer that it wouldn’t taste heavy, and this dish accomplishes both.
In Russian, these Porcupine Meatballs (Tefteli Ezhiki) are called this way because of the rice that is used in them, that pokes out from the meatballs in little “quills”. Baked in a scrumptious sauce that’s flavored with carrots, onions and tomato paste and just a bit of cream, it definitely tastes comforting to me.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 40 min
Partially cook the rice. I usually bring the water to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl.
If you’re wondering why I added water to the meatball mixture, it’s to make the meatballs more tender.
Form meatballs approximately 2 Tablespoons each. Place in a rimmed baking pan.
You can use a portion scoop to make it easier to form the meatballs. Or use your hands. Moisten your hands every once in a while so the meat mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
For the cream sauce, melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes, until the carrots soften.
Add the garlic and tomato paste to the center of the pan, cook for about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until it’s completely incorporated into the carrots and onions.
Pour in part of the chicken broth and whisk.
I forgot to add the tomato paste and garlic, so I added it here. Oops.
Gradually add the rest of the broth. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Take off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour the cream sauce over the meatballs.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1½ lbs ground pork
- 1 cup rice, partially cooked
- 2 onions, minced
- 1 egg
- ½ cup water
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-4 Tablespoons butter
- 3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
- 2-3 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 5 cups chicken broth, warm
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Partially cook the rice. I usually bring the water to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Form meatballs approximately 2 Tablespoons each. Place in a rimmed baking pan.
- You can use a portion scoop to make it easier to form the meatballs. Or use your hands. Moisten your hands every once in a while so the meat mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
- For the cream sauce, melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes, until the carrots soften. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the center of the pan, cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until it’s completely incorporated into the carrots and onions.
- Pour in part of the chicken broth and whisk. Gradually add the rest of the broth. Cook for about 15 minutes.
- Take off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the cream sauce over the meatballs.
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.
Yummy
, thank you Olya. Will try to make them today 
Have you tried to freeze them?
Meatballs freeze perfectly, Olga! Enjoy. I am making them again today too.
These look absolutely scrumptious! Thanks for the wonderful recipe
This looks delicious, and I feel so much more comfortable trying this out having seen every step of the process making. Love that these are all simple ingredients I actually do have in my kitchen!! I do have one question, I’m a little challenged in the kitchen… how exactly do you cut your carrots like that? Or are they simply grated with the big side of the cheese grater? Thanks! New to your blog, I love your style of explaining the steps, and your tips
Hi Gen,
Thanks for the kind words! I am really thrilled that the tips and explanations are helpful.
I like using simple ingredients too. It makes cooking much easier and more approachable:).
I used a box grater for the carrots.
I just want to thank you for your hard work and detailed steps. Even the explanations behind why you add something and what it does. I learn so much through your website! I am excited to try this recipe out!
Many Blessings!
Yana
You’re welcome, Yana P!
I am so happy to hear that you find all of it useful! Blessings to you too.
These look so absolutely marvelous. I pinned this on Pinterest (here: http://pinterest.com/pin/33495590950723825/) so that I can find the recipe and so that other people can link on it and see that you are obviously a genius!!
Thanks, Margot C. I appreciate you sharing the recipe with others!
I did them today, they turned out so yummy, thanks for sharing.
))
This looks so good. I can’t wait to do it Friday!
Can I use ground chicken instead???
Just made them and they were a BIG hit with my 3 picky boy’s. Going to have the left over meatballs over egg noodle pasta tomorrow. Thank you for sharing…
Hi Olga, I have been reading your blog for several months now and have made a few things, but this is my first comment. I made these meatballs yesterday and everyone LOVED them. I used 2 lbs pork and 1 lb chicken because that’s what I had, also I didn’t have tomato paste so I used tomato sauce, but everything else I followed exactly. They were perfectly salted and juicy! Here are some of the comments I heard: my 5 year old girl as she is eating them “mom, these meatballs are making me even hungrier!”, 8 year old son “mom, these meatballs are DELICIOUS!”, husband “make sure you give me some of these for lunch tomorrow”, LOL. So I will definitely be making these again
Thank you
Yay! SO happy to hear such positive results!
Mmm. These look so yummy. Going to the store to restock and get everything I need for this recipe. Can’t wait to try these.
Didn’t have time to come back to say how they turned out. My whole family loved them. My 3 year old usually doesn’t like gravy with his mashed potatoes but because of the yummy meatballs he ate it all. I made a double batch for our big family and even had some leftovers for work the next day.
I made this for dinner and it was perfect. My family and i enjoyed it a lot
thank u for such a great recipe 
will definitely be making this again 
They look so yummy and I love easy to follow instructions
. Great job Olga, I will have to give them a try for sure.
Thanks for this recipe!
I always like to compare similar dishes that I make to how others make them. My mom always made ezhiki on the stove top, in the top, instead of the oven. I like your oven idea for the fact that I can put it in and walk away for a while
Will also try the sauce, never made it with a sauce.
I made this this sunday morning! It is great recipe! had a lot of flavor and my whole family enjoyed it! Thank you for another great recipe! You are wonderful!
Ohh this looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it!
Hi Olga, this looks so delicious. I got one question though. I’m planning to make it for Sunday’s lunch and I was wondering can I prepare it the night before and cook it on Sunday or should I cook it on Saturday and just heat it up on Sunday? And thanks once again for all the wonderful recipes your sending my way.
Oksana,
You can do it either way. It works just as well in both cases.
Olga, How many people does this recipe serve? Thanks : )
Elena,
You will have approximately 48 meatballs.
There are just two of us. I’d like to freeze half the recipe. Should I put the cream sauce over the raw meatballs in a baking dish and freeze it ready to bake later?
You can bake the whole batch and then freeze half of it, Leslie. That’s what I would do.
You can freeze the raw meatballs also, I think. However, I’ve never done it myself with this particular recipe, but I’ve done it with similar recipes and had great results.
Hi, I have. I freezed the half of the meat with rice, and than later used it to make kotleti, before frying obvaljat v syxarjax.
ochen vkysno. Also, I make frikadelki dlja wedding syp out of this farsh, what’s left from this farsh. Cz its too much of tefteli for us 3. 
Hi Olga,
I made these meatballs for a family get together last week and everyone loved them! They were going back for seconds and thirds! So thanks heaps for the recipe.:)
Hi, Olechka,
WOW!!! These meatballs are SOOOO delicious!!!! We loved your recipe much more that I used to cook. I made them today for dinner and was surprised because its take less time, easier and more delicious then mine. Thanks much!!!!
I love your website and every recipe that I tried on your WEB SOO GOOD!!!!!
PS. One tip for you. I use “McCormick Brown Gravy mix” instead flour or mixed it with flour. I buy it at “Sam’s club” because it’s cheaper. They have different kind such as chicken, turkey but my favorite is Brown Gravy, it has mushroom flavor and I use it so often in many dishes. Try it!!!
Thanks again!
Be blessed!
Made these meatballs last night for dinner. and it was the first time I actually followed a recipe without skipping any steps and it turned out fantastic! I only had pork meat so it made less meatballs but the family enjoyed it. they tasted awesome. love your step by step and pictures. that always helps when u see what happens next. Looking forward to trying more of your amazing recipes! GOd bless!
Absolutely delicious! We did enjoy it! Thank you, Olga.
(waiting for “plov” recipe
It’ll be up this week, Tatyana:). Probably Wednesday.
I made them today, and oh my they are finger licking good.
I make these meatballs all the time, and we never get tired of them. I’m glad you enjoyed them too, Julia.