Aside from spending quality time with family, I look forward to my visits for Mrs. Hacker’s delicious homemade meals. My favorite of her creations is the pizza porcupine patty. It has been my favorite since I was a kid due to the fun name and it’s melty cheesiness.
Back in the mid-70’s, when Mrs. Hacker was in the Army, she joined a recipe club that provided each member with a recipe card box and mailed a number of recipe cards per month. The pizza porcupine patties recipe was one of the first recipes she received and ironically the only recipe she kept and actually prepared.
Now 40 years later, the recipe, slightly changed from it’s original ingredients, is still a family favorite.
- 1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
- ½ cup uncooked, regular white rice
- 2-3 chopped hot chilies (the kind that come in a jar)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup shredded pizza cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Reserve 1 cup tomato sauce. Mix remaining tomato sauce, ground beef, rice, chilies, salt, garlic salt, and oregano. Shape into patties. Place in 9″x13″ baking pan. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove patties from oven. Drain off grease. Add beef broth to the 1 cup tomato sauce. Pour mixture over the patties. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 35 minutes. Remove patties from oven again. Sprinkle patties with cheese. Leave uncovered. And bake for 5 more minutes.
Mrs. Hacker likes to serve her pizza porcupine patties with green salad and French bread or sour dough bread. It is a delicious way to enjoy dinner together.
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