Meatballs and Rice

5 from 3 votes

Meatballs and Rice is a cozy baked dinner made with juicy ground beef meatballs, feta, Worcestershire, and savory long-grain rice cooked with beef broth, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. The rice gets a head start in the oven, then everything finishes together in one dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Bailey Rhatigan

Equipment

skillet or heavy bottomed pan
12x8 baking dish or similar in size

Ingredients

Rice

1⅓ cup long grain rice, uncooked
2 cups beef stock heated (to melt butter)
¾ cup water heated
1 bell pepper, diced
¼ yellow onion, finely chopped more will be used for the meat balls below
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Tbsp salted butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped for garnish before serving

Meatballs

1 Tbsp oil for browning
1 lb ground beef
¼ yellow onion, finely diced
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
⅓ cup feta, crumbled well *extra for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Rinse the uncooked rice well in a colander, this is so the grains don't get sticky and mush while baking. Add the water and broth to a large sauce pan and heat to a light simmer on the stove.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onions for both the rice and the meatballs (saving half some for the meatballs), dice bell peppers and mince the garlic. Place half the onions, all the bell peppers and garlic in a casserole dish 12x8 inch or similar in size baking dish. If you go smaller, cooking time will increase.
Add the butter, salt, pepper, uncooked rinsed rice to the baking dish follwed by heated beef stock with water. Mix well until the butter is melted.
Cover the baking dish with tin foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. While rice is baking, prepare the meatballs. Please note, if you use a smaller dish the baking time will need to increase a bit.

Meatballs

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef. Add in the leftover chopped onion, all the seasonings, egg, Worcestershire Sauce, breadcrumbs, crumbled feta. Mix well with hands, ensure the feta is evenly spread throughout.
Heat oil in a skillet or heavy bottomed pan. Form meatballs into 1-1.5 inch balls and add to a plate. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs into the hot skillet, you may need to cook two batches.
Turn the meatballs around the skillet to ensure all the sides are browned, about 3 minutes. Set the browned meatballs on a clean plate. Once they are all browned, carefully add them to the rice dish in the oven at the 30 minute mark.
Pull the rice out of the oven, uncover it, and gently nestle all the meatballs into the rice. Add in the broth if needed ( 1/4 cup only if all the liquid is absorbed and rice is still a smidge al dente)
Continue to cook for another 12-18 minutes or until rice is al dente and meatballs are cooked through. Oven temps will vary so please check on the meatballs and rice after 10 minutes. Once it's finished garnish with parsley, extra crumbled feta. Feel free to add some extra salt and pepper if preferred. I like to serve mine with a drizzle of sriracha but this is optional!

Notes

Use long-grain white rice: The liquid amount and baking time are written specifically for long-grain white rice. Other varieties may need different amounts of broth and different cook times.
Broth: Low-sodium beef broth gives the deepest flavor. Chicken broth can work too, but the finished dish will taste a little lighter.
Ground meat: Ground beef is the tested option. If you use ground turkey or chicken, cook the meatballs to 165°F and expect a slightly leaner texture.
Baking dish size matters: A smaller or deeper dish can increase the cooking time because the rice cooks differently when it’s packed more tightly.
Check the rice before the final bake: If most of the liquid has been absorbed but the rice is still quite firm, add up to ¼ cup more broth before adding the meatballs.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 2–3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition