Wild Rice Meatballs

Meatballs on a wooden board with toothpicks against white background
Aleksandr_Vorobev / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 24 meatballs

Wild Rice Meatballs is a fun and delicious recipe that uses wild rice as filler instead of bread or cracker crumbs. The meatballs are so tender and easy.

You can use precooked wild rice from a can if you'd like, or cook wild rice as the recipe directs. Cook it until the rice is almost tender; it will finish cooking while the meatballs bake. The rice is tender and nutty and really adds a nice texture to the tiny meatballs.

The trick to making the best meatballs lies in how you mix them. All of the ingredients except the meat should be thoroughly combined before you add the meat. Add the meat at the very end and mix gently with your hands. This ensures that the meat is not overworked so the meatballs are tender.

These little meatballs freeze well after they are baked. Let them cool for about 30 minutes, then pack into hard-sided freezer containers, label with the name of the recipe and the date they were prepared, and freeze up to four months. To use, thaw the package in the refrigerator overnight, and use as directed in recipes.

You can serve these meatballs as an appetizer, or use them in Spaghetti and Meatballs or any of my recipes that Start with Meatballs. They are especially good in Crock Pot Wild Rice Meatball Chili, which uses wild rice in the chili too.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup wild rice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 pound ground beef

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Combine wild rice with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan.

  3. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 to 35 minutes until rice is almost tender.

  4. Set aside.

  5. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  6. In a small saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat; add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.

  7. In large bowl combine onion mixture, wild rice, seasoned salt, pepper, milk, and egg and combine.

  8. Add ground beef, broken into chunks, and work gently but thoroughly with your hands to combine.

  9. Form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter and place on a broiler pan.

  10. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until meatballs are no longer pink in center.

  11. Cool and freeze, or when baked, use in your favorite recipe.

  12. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
64 Calories
4g Fat
1g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 64
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 84mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 88mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)