Italian Porcupine Meatballs

Our family recipe for this vintage 1960s version of Italian Porcupine Meatballs is super easy to make and a saucy meatball we grew up on.

These are one of the most economical family meals and were very popular during the great depression when it was first discovered to make ground beef go further to feed a large family.

Our recipe is a one-pan casserole basically an Italian meatball mixture with added rice taking the place of breadcrumbs.

Simmered in a homemade delectable tomato sauce,(or your favorite bottled sauce in a pinch) these are baked to perfection for an in-one-pan meal.

If you love the original versions sometimes that add onions, peppers, mushrooms, leftover cooked long-grain rice (instead of instant), and more like meatloaf, ours isn't anything like that, but feel free to adapt this any way you like.

If you enjoy a good Italian meatball, this may be a new favorite way to make a delicious casserole style.

Also, we love topping these with some provolone or mozzarella cheese to really make a fancy spicy meatball, and believe me even with rice they're great in a sandwich if you have leftovers.

Do check out the additions below to change make several styles of these porcupine meatballs and adapt away.

This recipe can be doubled to accommodate the size of your family.

Serving them is super easy, plain is in a bowl with a big chunk of hard Italian bread, over mashed potatoes, some steamed rice, or noodles either way these are delicious!

Scroll down to the end for this printable recipe.

15 One Pan Recipes

This is a roundup of delicious one-pan meals that have been the most asked for in our family as far back to the 1960s when mom used to make them.



You will find some new and old recipes that have been adapted to feed a large family economically with some great ideas when looking for something old or new to try.



Growing up we love tuna casserole but as time went on, the chicken was another idea to add as a substitute.



All these recipes can be adapted to satisfy your family's taste buds.



We love roundups like this for dinner ideas maybe you may remember our 20 kinds of beans or our 15 kinds of pasta recipes.



They're all easy recipes to follow and made with simple ingredients like our Polenta with Meat Sauce and Greens and Beans which are two others we love.


Get creative and try other meats, make them all vegetarian, or just get some great ideas below.



Scroll through this great roundup of one-pan recipes and enjoy these tried and true recipes.

Potato and Egg Frittata

Another breakfast in our Italian household was potatoes and eggs, a traditional Italian recipe very easy to recreate.


This Potato and Egg Frittata and an all-time favorite breakfast, lunch, or dinner when I was growing up because it was inexpensive to make and could easily feed a large family economically.


Money was tight in the 1960s and this meal was so delicious no one ever thought it was a well-known Italian depression food.


This was mom's go-to recipe until the next payday many weeknights and it was also and now after all these years, we all love this any time of the day of weeknight.


Many foods on a budget can be a gourmet banquet, this was one of them during tougher times.


Just scroll down to the recipe card and read some of the suggestions mom would throw into the pan when we had leftovers!

Ditalini with Pork and Peas

Ditalini with Pork and Peas is tiny pasta with meat sauce and peas.


Grandma called this depression food as it was an inexpensive meal her mom growing up that fed the whole family easily on a budget.


This dish really can be made with any kinds of beans, meats, or pasta.


The meal is quick and easy to prepare besides being delicious and we make this often on cooler days.


My grandmother would always make this during the week to finish up any leftover Sunday sauce and whatever meat was in the sauce instead of boneless pork meat as we do now.


Again as I mentioned any meat or even meatless is fine the sauce is delicious


Scroll down for the recipe for ditalini with pork and peas on the printable card below.

Grandma's Pasta and Peas or Beans

Grandma's Pasta and Peas is an economical meal that feed our large family (and even some of the kids on the block) ecomomically.

Grandma grew up poor and often even picked the pease fresh for our meal which was always a treat made with love in that huge pot.

The peas simmered in a thick tomato sauce then poured over bread, pasta, rice or mashed potatoes whatever we had in the house that week.

Low income and tough times can still bring happy times and memories to the table of togetherness and family love through food, this is one recipe that achieved memories of a lifetime.