Name: Meatballs and Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: Rice:; 1 small onion (or ½ medium one); 3 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 1/2 cup hot chicken stock; 1 1/4 cup hot water; ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 1/2 cup long grain rice; Meatballs (Note 1:); 20 oz ground meat (Note 2); 1 small onion (or ½ medium); 2 large garlic cloves; 1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs; 2 eggs; 3 tablespoons milk; 2 tablespoons chopped dill; 1 teaspoon ground paprika; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying the meatballs; some parsley for sprinkling on top

Baked meatballs and rice, a comforting casserole dish that your children will love! A budget friendly recipe that you will keep making again and again.

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brown meatballs with rice and sprinkled with parsley

You can’t go wrong with this meatballs and rice recipe! It is everything that a nice, reliable, family recipe should be. It only needs a few simple ingredients, it is easy and quick to make and the comfort or coziness factor is huge.

And your kids will love every bite of it. Totally children food, if you ask me. Just meatballs and rice, with the veggies or salad on the side, so that nothing gets in the way. 🙂

And if you would like more kid-friendly casseroles, try this Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake or this Bolognese Pasta Bake.

brown meatballs served on cooked long grain rice in a baking dish

Three ways of making meatballs and rice

When it comes to the rice layer nothing changes. You have rice, onions, garlic, butter, spices, and some broth.

But when it comes to the meatballs, there are several ways you can cook those.

Mix ground meat with all the other ingredients, brown them on the stovetop, and bake with the rice. I use a mixture of pork and beef most of the time, but only pork or only beef is fine. Turkey meatballs are delicious as well.
Sausage meatballs: goes faster. Remove the cases of some good quality sausages and form the balls. The sausages are usually spicy, so there is nothing else you will add to the mixture.
Ready-made meatballs: either homemade leftover meatballs or homemade frozen ones. I sometimes have leftovers in the freezer. I defrost them quickly on the counter (it won’t take long) and add them to the dish.
Or frozen and defrosted ready-made bought meatballs. They are usually cooked and only need to be reheated. Or you can use cooked ones from a pack from the refrigerator section of the supermarket.

How to make?

Rice:

Chop the onion and garlic very finely. Place in a casserole dish of about 30×20 cm/ 12×8 inches.
Add the butter and the oil, the hot chicken stock, and hot water. It is important that they are hot so that the butter can melt and the dish starts cooking sooner in the oven. Mix well until the butter is melted.
Add the uncooked, washed rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
While the rice bakes, make the meatballs.

casserole dish covered with aluminum foil and cooked rice in the dish

Meatballs:

Combine the ground meat with the grated onion and garlic. Add breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, dill, paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Form the balls, scooping about 1 heaped tablespoon or 1/8 cup of the mixture and rolling it with wet hands. I had about 25.
Brown in a little oil in a non-stick or cast-iron pan, about 5 minutes per batch and turning often so that they can brown on all sides. They should be brown but not cooked through.

forming meatballs and frying them in a non stick pan

Remove the aluminum foil from the rice, you will not need it anymore.
Nestle the meatballs into the rice.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the rice and the meatballs are cooked through.
Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

meatballs arranged on rice before and after baking

What could you add?

You can add 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste to the hot stock mixture and whisk well.
Add one cup of frozen peas or diced carrots to the rice, both veggies that kids usually like.
Five minutes before the cooking time is over, take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle it with Parmesan, a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan or grated Cheddar cheese.

Can you reheat the dish?

Definitely. You can reheat the leftovers in the same dish. Just make sure to evenly distribute the leftovers all over the dish. Reheat in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through, about 20 minutes, but check.

You can also reheat them on the stovetop. Mix everything together, add a splash of chicken broth or water to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom of the pan, and reheat gently, covered, on medium-low heat, and stirring often. To speed up the reheating process, halve the meatballs.