Not Yo' Momma's Porcupines

This came together really easily. It's such a creative idea to use the noodles in the meatballs, and I love that the seasoning packet was used as the salt in the recipe. That way you don't have a random seasoning packet hanging around. I ended up using a lot more herbs and spices than the recipe called for, but that's just personal preference.

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What a creative recipe! I love the use of ramen noodles in the meatballs. I thought this recipe was easy to put together, tasty and easy on the budget. I liked how some healthy veggies were 'hidden' in the meatballs. The only improvement I would suggest is to ramp up the spicing a bit more...maybe more garlic and Italian spices. Thanks for such a creative and cost-effective dinner idea!

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We liked this recipe alot. The meatballs have great flavor and the sauce was nice, I just wish there had been more of it. Maybe I'll double the sauce ingredients next time, thanks. Good luck in the contest.

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My Momma made the porcupines, too, in fact, still does. As a child, it was great comfort food. These ramen porcupines are more adult but have wide appeal for kids, too. I used diced tomatoes with green chili, and it gave it just a little kick. the veggies in the meatballs and the ramen seasoning pack gave this recipe extra flavor. This was quite interesting. Thanks for sharing. Made for Dining on a Dollar 2008.

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I was a little concerned about these meatballs when I realized I wasn't going to brown them before adding to the sauce. Not only did I think they were going to crumble while cooking, but I thought I was going to miss the color & the texture of browned meat. The smells coming from the kitchen were Heavenly & wasn't I surprised at mealtime when DH's first words were how much he liked the soft meatballs. DS agreed & commented on the flavor itself & how the ramen noodles were cooked right in. Then I tried the porcupines myself & was impressed by both the texture & the flavor of them. The balance of flavors in the meatballs was very nice. They were not at all too salty when made with the seasoning packet. The sauce was simple and complimented the porcupines without overpowering them, but I do think that the salt, sugar, dried oregano & dried basil are important enough to have their own line each in the ingredient list. I was realizing that I didn't have anything but salt pulled from the pantry, because they were all listed on one line, so I didn't notice DH pouring in a 16oz can of tomato sauce instead of an 8oz! We were out of tomato paste so I added more seasonings & let the sauce simmer, uncovered, to thicken for about a half hour before serving. In the end this was a unanimous vote, our favorite recipe of the contest. Thank you for sharing your creation! Made for Fall 08 Dining on a Dollar - Ramen Noodle challenge.

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This recipe was made on 11/14/08 for the "Dining On A $" event.I did however have to make a couple of changes due to what I had on hand.The changes that were made are as follows,garlic powder instead of salt.As for the carrots, six baby carrots were grated and used. For the red peppers, I had some freeze dried and used those.The tomato sauce that I used already had the herbs in it so all I added was a bit of salt and about 1 teaspoon of sugar.And the only diced tomatoes I had were fire-roasted garlic seasoned diced and they worked out just great.The overall taste of this recipe was "FANTASTIC" thanks so much for posting. This will be made again,and "Keep Smiling :)"

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The meatballs in this recipe are excellent and I thought it was a creative use of ramen noodles. They are tasty and I liked that veggies were packed in there. Chopped very small they would be a terrific 'hide the veggies from picky kids' meatball. I also appreciated the freezing instructions and humor in the recipe. The recipe contains good instructions as well. I was disappointed though that the sauce seasonings were omitted from the recipe & we are left to guess. I also had some problems with the sauce. The result is very thick & doesnt really offer much coverage to top pasta. In other words this isn't a spagetti sauce. lol It tasted terrific, but didn't match the pasta I prepared for dinner expecting to ladle it on & top with parm. 5 stars for meatballs and I would make them again. 4 stars because of sauce. Good luck in the contest!

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