Calories: Not specified
Cooking time: Not indicated

Hedgehogs in a slow cooker with gravy are quite easy to prepare. My step-by-step recipe with photos will help you with this. Cooking technology includes several processes: preparing minced meat (although you can buy it ready-made to make the work easier), forming meatballs, preparing the sauce and actually stewing. But, if we consider that the meat hedgehogs do not need to be fried, and the sauce is prepared by mixing the ingredients, and we trust the stewing process to the slow cooker, then there is really nothing complicated in serving delicious meat hedgehogs in gravy for dinner.
For minced meat, you can use any fresh meat, keeping in mind that chicken will make the dish more tender, pork more filling, and beef more flavorful and lean. Ideally, the most delicious minced meat will be obtained if you mix different types of meat in equal proportions.
The sauce for the gravy is prepared on the basis of sauteed vegetables (carrots and onions) with the addition of sour cream and wheat flour for thickening.
The dish can be served as a side dish with pasta, porridge, or with a vegetable salad for a snack.



Ingredients:
- minced meat (assorted) – 500 g
- rice (preferably long grain) – 0.5 tbsp.
- onion – 1 pc.
- carrots – 1 pc.
- garlic – 2 cloves
- water – 1.5 tbsp.
- wheat flour – 2 tbsp.
- sour cream (any fat content) - 3 tbsp.
- salt, medium grind - to taste
- sunflower oil -3 tbsp.
- pepper (a mixture of peppers) – to taste

How to cook with photos step by step





Grind the peeled carrots on a coarse grater.
We clean the onion and chop it finely.




Sauté the vegetables until lightly browned, without drying them out.




We rinse the rice thoroughly and place it in a bowl (by the way, it is better to take the rice long so that it imitates the needles of a hedgehog).






Twisted meat.




Add rice with vegetables (take half of the fried vegetables), chopped garlic, and pepper and salt to taste.




Mix thoroughly until smooth.






We form small balls from the cutlet mass (preferably with wet hands so that the minced meat does not stick to your hands) and place them in a multi-cooker bowl.




Mix water and sour cream separately. Add the rest of the sauteed vegetables, flour and spices for taste.




Pour this sauce over it.




Cook the hedgehogs and simmer them in the “Stew” mode for an hour.






Bon appetit!




And this is how you can cook it

We don’t just offer, but immediately insist that you try this dish. In addition, in each recipe you will get different tastes, and with them other emotions.

We present to you hedgehogs made from steamed meat, meat with tomatoes and rice, cabbage with rice and meat, mushrooms, and meat with buckwheat. Each option is significantly different from the previous one. This means that during the work week you can try all the options and your family won't even notice that it was practically the same dish.

Hedgehogs can be served either hot or cold. They can be served with a side dish, chopped fresh vegetables or served with sauce, and a small piece of fresh pita bread on top. You can even have it with a fresh vegetable salad. This is a must try!

General cooking principles

Today we are preparing various hedgehogs from a variety of ingredients, as you can already understand. But the most important component, perhaps, will be minced meat.

You can choose absolutely any minced meat on the market or in a store, but you also need to do it correctly. Nobody wants to eat dishes made from spoiled, missing meat, right?

  1. To begin with, remember that the earlier you go shopping, the more likely you are to find fresh goods, be it a specialty store or market;
  2. The next point is appearance. First of all, no matter how you look at it, this is how you will appreciate the minced meat. If the surface is weathered, it means that the minced meat has been on the counter for more than an hour, or even a day. If it is covered with a dry crust, then rather, the second option;
  3. If the surface of the minced meat is gray, and the seller demonstrates that everything is fine inside, because there is a bright red color, then do not trust this person. If the minced meat has already turned gray, it is clearly not fresh;
  4. Next, consider the color of the meat. If it is minced chicken, it should be a soft pink color, if it is minced beef, it should be burgundy, if it is pork, it should be pink. Any minced meat should contain white inclusions - fat;
  5. The next point is the counter. Pay attention to what the product contains. If there is a pool of blood under the minced meat, do not buy it. If there is nothing, it’s also not worth buying. This means that tendons and cartilage have been added to the minced meat, from which nothing simply can stand out. The color of the puddle also cannot be dark and cloudy;
  6. The surface of the minced meat should also not be slippery, because the next step is to change the color to gray. Accordingly, this product is already deteriorating;
  7. Ask the seller for a bag with a small amount of minced meat. First, grind it to understand how uniform the consistency is. The mass should be soft, without hard pieces;
  8. Then you can smell the same minced meat. There should be a light, pleasant aroma of meat. If you smell the aroma of spices, the manufacturer was trying to hide the rotten smell of the product in this way.

Now you already know how to choose the right main ingredient for our dish today. Head to the store for the rest of your grocery list and you can start cooking.


Steamed hedgehogs in a slow cooker

Cooking time

calorie content per 100 grams


Steaming always stands above all other temperature treatments. Nourishing and dietary hedgehogs will appeal to everyone!

How to cook:


Tip: if you don’t like to feel the onion slices, you can puree it with a blender. The taste will remain the same, but the consistency will be more tender.

Dedicated to all lovers of delicious tomato dressings. The most tender hedgehogs with a similar sauce are eaten in one sitting.

What time is it – 2 hours.

What is the calorie content - 177 calories.

How to cook:

  1. Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes;
  2. Wash the bell pepper and remove its stem with seeds, remove the white walls. Cut the fruit itself into large strips;
  3. Wash and peel the carrots, cut them into strips or grate them coarsely;
  4. Add half the onion to the minced meat, add salt and washed rice, mix;
  5. Beat the meat and make balls out of it;
  6. Pour a little sunflower oil into the multicooker container, select the “Frying” mode;
  7. Saute the carrots, the second half of the onion and bell pepper for ten minutes;
  8. In a separate container, mix tomato paste, flour and sour cream;
  9. Pour in two glasses of hot water and stir well;
  10. Place the hedgehogs in a container on top of the vegetables and pour the tomato-sour cream dressing on top;

Tip: you don’t have to add sour cream to the dressing, but immediately add it to the minced meat. In this case, you need to slightly increase the amount of tomato paste.

What if you add some pickled mushrooms? It turns out something new and incredibly tasty! Suitable as an appetizer and as a side dish.

How long is it - 1 hour and 20 minutes.

What is the calorie content - 160 calories.

How to cook:

  1. Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and cut them into strips or pieces;
  2. Chop the peeled onion with a knife or puree in a blender;
  3. Pour water over the rice and leave for ten minutes, then rinse it;
  4. Combine mushrooms, egg, onion with minced meat and mix the mixture;
  5. Add rice, after draining the water, and stir again;
  6. Season to taste and shape the minced meat into hedgehogs;
  7. In a separate container, pour half a glass of water into the sour cream and stir, add salt, and add garlic if desired;
  8. Grease the multicooker bowl with butter and put hedgehogs in it, pour sour cream on top;
  9. Select the “Baking” program and cook for fifty minutes.

Tip: pickled mushrooms can be replaced with fresh ones, but then you need to add more spices to the minced meat.

Even white cabbage can be tender. This is proven by today's hedgehogs in which it is added. Together with the spices, this dish wins hearts!

How long is it - 2 hours and 30 minutes.

What is the calorie content - 150 calories.

How to cook:

  1. The washed rice must be half cooked on the stove or using a slow cooker;
  2. Peel the onion and chop it, add half to the minced meat;
  3. Beat the egg into the minced meat, add spices, rice and mix everything thoroughly with your hands;
  4. Saute the second onion in sunflower oil in a frying pan or on the “Fry” mode in a multicooker;
  5. Peel and grate the carrots, add to the onions and mix;
  6. Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem, grate them, discard the skin;
  7. Add tomato juice to the onions and carrots and cook the mixture for ten minutes;
  8. Wash and chop the cabbage, then sprinkle with salt and mash with your hands;
  9. Take the vegetable dressing out of the multicooker bowl into another container, and form meat hedgehogs into the multicooker itself and place them on the bottom;
  10. Then sprinkle the hedgehogs with salted cabbage and pour vegetable dressing evenly on top;
  11. Add seasonings and a little water to cover the cabbage with dressing;
  12. Select the “Stew” mode and cook for an hour and a half.
  13. Wash and chop the greens, add towards the end of cooking, and remove the bay leaf.

Tip: instead of fresh tomatoes, you can use 1 liter of tomato juice.

Buckwheat is a very valuable cereal, it is healthy and versatile. Cooked hedgehogs with buckwheat have a special taste, which many prefer over rice.

How long is it - 1 hour and 50 minutes.

What is the calorie content - 208 calories.

How to cook:

  1. Wash the buckwheat and soak it, remove all the rubbish. Leave for ten minutes to swell;
  2. Finely chop the peeled onion;
  3. Wash the carrots and grate them on a coarse grater;
  4. Mix onions and carrots with the minced meat; it is advisable to use pork and beef minced meat;
  5. Add buckwheat in portions and mix thoroughly, then season to taste;
  6. Grease the bottom of the multicooker bowl with sunflower oil and place the formed hedgehogs in it;
  7. Wash and peel the second carrot too, then grate it on top of the hedgehogs;
  8. Dilute sour cream in a liter of water and pour it over the minced meat and carrots, season again. If water does not cover the hedgehogs, it needs to be added;
  9. Cook in the “Stew” mode for one and a half hours.

Tip: You can also add cabbage to this recipe. You just need to chop it up and put it on the bottom, and sprinkle a small part of it on top of the hedgehogs along with the carrots. Increase the amount of salt.

  1. If you are afraid that your meat balls will still fall apart at the end of cooking, we recommend adding raw potatoes to the mixture. To do this, you just need to peel the potatoes, wash off the sand and grate the tuber on a fine grater. Add it to the mixture for hedgehogs and mix well;
  2. To make the meat balls lower in calories, steam them. This is a great option for those who are on a diet or have small children;
  3. While you are steaming meat hedgehogs, you can also prepare a side dish for them. To do this, you just need to pour the desired cereal into the bowl into the compartment where water is poured. This way, you will have both the meat dish and the side dish prepared at the same time;
  4. If you have hedgehogs left and you decide not to remove them, but to leave them in the slow cooker, then be sure to cover them with a lid. This is only necessary because rice tends to dry out and harden quickly in the open air. After heating, it will already crunch on your teeth if you do not have time to cover it;
  5. You will get the most delicious hedgehogs if you use the stewing program on your multicooker;
  6. If you lack variety in your dishes, you can prepare a special sauce. Both sour cream and tomato at the same time. Just mix them together and get a new, unusual sauce;
  7. The smaller your hedgehogs are, the lighter and more delicate their taste will be. And, accordingly, the more balls you will have and they will last longer;
  8. To avoid disturbing the cabbage balls, chop it as little as possible. This also applies to mushrooms. The less you chop the food, the easier it will be to collect it into balls.

These hedgehogs are a very good option for lunch or dinner. You can serve them with a delicate sauce and your favorite side dish and be sure that everyone will be satisfied. It's tasty, nutritious and fast. Why not try it?

Hedgehogs are meatballs that children love very much. In a slow cooker, hedgehogs can be steamed in an original way, and not like regular meatballs, and due to this they will look like hedgehogs one-on-one. Therefore, minced meat (chicken and beef) must be prepared without rice, but the meatballs themselves must be covered with a layer of raw rice (this should be basmati rice). The grains of rice rise upward from the steam, like needles on a hedgehog’s fur coat, and the meatballs look unusual. The only thing I don’t like is that the hedgehogs need to be made at a time, because after sitting, the rice hardens and becomes unpalatable.

To cook hedgehogs in a slow cooker, take ground chicken, ground beef, onion, garlic, bread, water, basmati rice, salt, black pepper.

Combine chicken and ground beef (it’s better to take several types of meat to make the hedgehogs tastier).

Grind onion, garlic, and bread soaked in water through a meat grinder into minced meat. Then add salt and pepper to the minced meat and mix it.

Wash and dry the basmati rice.

Make meatballs from the minced meat, roll each one in rice so that it sticks in a dense, even layer.

Place the balls in the rice in the steamer of the multicooker.

Steam the hedgehogs for 30 minutes. When you open the lid, you won’t believe your eyes - ordinary meatballs have turned into real hedgehogs! Cool, right? :)

Eat the hedgehogs right away, because I didn’t really like the rice when it cooled down; it became harder and much tougher.

Enjoy your meal!!!

Hedgehogs in a slow cooker can be an excellent alternative to regular cutlets or meatballs. Their peculiarity is not only their attractive appearance, but also the fact that this dish can be prepared from any meat, controlling the fat content at your discretion. We have prepared several different recipes for hedgehogs in a slow cooker that will help you diversify your diet and please your family with an original and tasty treat for lunch.

A classic recipe for hedgehogs in a slow cooker, which even a novice housewife can handle. Making this dish is easy and simple in any slow cooker.

What ingredients will you need:

  • minced pork and beef – 500 g;
  • long rice – 100 g;
  • chicken egg – 1 piece;
  • salt, pepper - to taste;
  • Bay leaf;
  • allspice (peas);
  • onion – 1 pc.

Hedgehogs in a slow cooker are cooked only with long-grain rice, so that the “needles” are long and puffy in all directions. You can use either white or brown rice.

How to make delicious hedgehogs in a slow cooker:

  1. The first step is to soak the rice for at least half an hour in warm water, after washing it thoroughly. Then drain the water, place the grains on a towel and let them dry.
  2. Break the egg into the minced meat, add salt and pepper to taste, mix well.
  3. Finely chop the onion and add to the minced meat.
  4. Make small balls with a diameter of 5 cm. To prevent the minced meat from sticking to your hands, moisten them with water.
  5. Roll the balls in rice laid out on a towel.
  6. Pour 1-1.5 liters of water into the multicooker bowl, add a bay leaf and a couple of allspice peas for flavor.
  7. Place the steaming rack and place the meat balls on it.
  8. Cook hedgehogs in a multicooker in the “Steam” mode for 40 minutes.

Useful advice: during cooking, some grains of rice may fall off - this is not a big deal. But in order for the “needles” of the hedgehogs to hold well in the slow cooker, while rolling the meat balls, lightly press on them, and the rice will sit tightly in the meat.

Chicken hedgehogs in a slow cooker

This recipe will appeal to those who want to reduce their calorie intake, lose a few extra pounds, or have stomach problems. Light hedgehogs in a slow cooker can be given to small children and the elderly. This is a tender and easily digestible dish that goes well with any side dish.

Ingredients you will need to prepare chicken hedgehogs:

  • chicken (fillet) – 700 g;
  • onion – 1 piece;
  • egg – 1 pc;
  • long grain rice – 150 g;
  • salt, pepper - to taste;
  • stale bread (white) – 2 slices;
  • milk – 100 ml.

How to cook light hedgehogs in a slow cooker:

  1. Break the bread slices into small pieces and soak in milk.
  2. Rinse the rice and soak in warm water for 40 minutes.
  3. Pass the chicken fillet through a meat grinder or grind in a blender.
  4. Clean your hands and grate on a coarse grater.
  5. In a deep bowl, mix chicken meat, onion, egg, bread squeezed out of milk, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Place the rice in a sieve and dry on a towel.
  7. Form small balls from minced chicken. To make hedgehogs in a slow cooker look like real ones, you can give the meat pieces an oblong shape.
  8. Roll the cutlets in the dried rice and make a small point at one end - this will be the hedgehog's nose.
  9. Pour some water into the multicooker bowl and place the grill for steaming.
  10. Place the hedgehogs on the grill, set the “Steam” program and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken hedgehogs cook faster in the slow cooker than meat ones, so if you need to whip up a quick dinner, this recipe will come in handy.

Fish urchins in a slow cooker

As mentioned above, hedgehogs in a slow cooker can be made from any minced meat, including fish. Fish cakes are good and healthy, but they can also get boring. If your baby refuses to eat regular cutlets, cook him funny hedgehogs!

What you need to make fish urchins in a slow cooker:

  • fish fillet or minced meat – 500 g;
  • egg – 1 pc;
  • long grain rice – 100 g;
  • fresh greens (dill, parsley) – 1 bunch;
  • onion – 1 piece;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • salt, pepper - to taste;
  • lemon.

Preparing hedgehogs in a slow cooker is very simple:

  1. Rinse the rice in advance and soak in water for 40 minutes.
  2. If you use fish fillet, pass it through a meat grinder or grind it in a blender.
  3. Grate the onion on a coarse grater.
  4. Pass the garlic through a press.
  5. Finely chop the greens.
  6. Mix fish with egg, onion, garlic and herbs in a deep bowl.
  7. Place the rice in a sieve and place on a towel to dry.
  8. Wet your hands with water and form small fish balls.
  9. Roll the balls in the rice, lightly pressing it into the minced meat.
  10. Place the hedgehogs in the multicooker on the steaming rack, set the “Steam” program and cook for 30 minutes.

Before serving, you can sprinkle the dish with freshly squeezed lemon juice to highlight the taste of the fish.

Vegetarian hedgehogs in a slow cooker

Hedgehogs in a slow cooker can be made not only from minced meat. This recipe will use only plant-based ingredients. In fact, vegetarian hedgehogs can be called falafels in rice, but the taste is no worse than any other.

Helpful tip: if you don’t want to put an egg in the minced meat, you can use soy protein or a couple of tablespoons of wheat flour to prevent the balls from falling apart.

Ingredients needed to prepare vegetarian hedgehogs:

  • chickpeas (chickpeas) – 300 g;
  • long grain rice (basmati) – 100 g;
  • fresh greens (parsley, cilantro, dill) - 1 bunch;
  • wheat flour – 2 tbsp. l.;
  • carrots – 1 piece;
  • onion – 1 piece;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • salt, pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. It is recommended to soak the chickpeas in water for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
  2. Rinse the rice and soak in warm water for 40 minutes.
  3. Place the swollen chickpeas in a bowl, add water until it completely covers them, and boil in the “Multi-Chef” or “Baking” mode for 40 minutes.
  4. Place the chickpeas in a deep bowl, let cool slightly and puree with an immersion blender.
  5. Grate the onion on a coarse grater.
  6. Finely chop the greens and pass the garlic through a press.
  7. Grate the carrots on a fine grater.
  8. Mix vegetables with chickpea puree, sift a couple of tablespoons of flour, add salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
  9. If the minced meat turns out to be too viscous, you can add crumbled stale white bread to it.
  10. Place the rice on a towel and dry.
  11. Form small balls from minced vegetables and roll them in rice.
  12. Place the hedgehogs in the multicooker on the steaming rack, pour a liter of water into the bowl and set the “Steam” program.
  13. Cook vegetarian hedgehogs for 20 minutes, then immediately serve hot.

Chickpeas are a very filling product, so there is no need to prepare a side dish for such hedgehogs. You can serve them with fresh vegetable salad, pickles, sauerkraut or sauces.

Vegetarian hedgehogs in a slow cooker are also delicious cold, so you can safely take them with you on the road, on a picnic or to work.

Tomato hedgehogs in a slow cooker

If you are not a supporter of steamed dishes and consider them “boring” and dry, we suggest preparing aromatic hedgehogs in a slow cooker in tomato sauce. This treat goes well with mashed potatoes, peas, wheat porridge or spaghetti.

Ingredients needed to make hedgehogs in a slow cooker:

  • minced meat (chicken or pork-beef) – 700 g;
  • egg – 1 pc;
  • onion – 1 piece;
  • long grain rice – 150 g;
  • salt, pepper - to taste;
  • tomato paste – 2 tbsp. l.;
  • wheat flour – 1 tbsp. l.;
  • sunflower oil;
  • carrots – 1 piece;
  • garlic – 2 cloves.

How to cook hedgehogs in a slow cooker in tomato sauce:

  1. Rinse the rice first and soak in warm water for 30 minutes.
  2. Finely chop the onion, pass the garlic through a press, grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
  3. Heat a little sunflower oil in a bowl, fry the onion in the “Baking” mode until golden brown, add carrots and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then place the roast on a plate and wash the bowl.
  4. Place the rice on a towel, flatten and dry.
  5. Mix the minced meat with the egg, add salt and pepper to taste and form into small balls.
  6. Roll the meat balls in the rice, pressing lightly.
  7. Pour water into a bowl, set a steaming rack and place the hedgehogs on it.
  8. Cook in the “Steam” mode for 20-30 minutes, depending on what kind of minced meat you use (chicken cooks faster).
  9. Remove the grill, pour the water out of the bowl and put the previously fried vegetables into it.
  10. Set the “Baking” program, heat the onions and carrots, dilute the tomato paste in a glass of water and pour into a bowl.
  11. When the mixture boils, sift a spoonful of flour, stir and add the hedgehogs to the sauce.
  12. Set the program to “Warm” and cook the hedgehogs in the slow cooker for 15 minutes, then serve with a side dish.

Hedgehogs in sour cream and tomato sauce in a slow cooker. Video

Another recipe for hedgehogs in a slow cooker, cooked not just steamed, but in a juicy tomato and sour cream sauce.

You can find all the necessary information in the video instructions below:

Dishes made from minced meat are invariably loved by children - for their convenience, and by dads - for their excellent taste, and by mothers - for their ease and speed of preparation.

In order to prepare delicious minced meat for dinner, the housewife will need very little time, especially if you call for help from our indispensable kitchen assistant - the multicooker. The dish is nutritious, healthy, and goes perfectly with any side dish.

From the products you should take:

400 g of homemade minced meat (if desired, you can use minced chicken or turkey, beef or pork);
¾ multi-cup rice - better than long-grain rice, as the hedgehog needles will be more pronounced;
4 – 5 tbsp. tomato sauce (or a couple of teaspoons of tomato paste, in this case, during the preparation of the sauce, you should add a little sugar and apple cider vinegar to get closer to the taste of natural tomatoes);
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. First of all, you need to boil the rice. We definitely remember that we need the rice slightly undercooked, so we take a little more water than the rice itself - for ¾ of a multi-cup of rice, 1 multi-glass of water. We wash the rice, fill it with cold water, add a little salt and set the “buckwheat” or “rice” mode.

2. Rice cooks quite quickly, but this time is just enough to prepare the minced meat and tomato sauce. If you have store-bought minced meat, then you need to add an onion twisted in a meat grinder, salt and pepper. I make the minced meat myself, so all the necessary additives are already inside. We dilute ketchup or tomato in 2 glasses of water, add salt and pepper, remembering that the sauce evaporates somewhat during the cooking process, so don’t add a little salt.


3. At this time, the multicooker has already cooked the rice, put it in a suitable bowl and cool slightly. If necessary, wash the multicooker pan.

4. Place the saucepan in place, carefully wiping the outer side dry - if this is not done, then the multicooker will click when cooking - this, of course, is not critical, but quite unpleasant. Pour the prepared sauce inside and turn on the “Frying” or “Baking” mode. This is done to allow the sauce to boil.

5. While our tomato is being brought to a boil, let’s take care of the hedgehogs themselves. Mix the minced meat and rice thoroughly (photo 06), and form meatballs with your hands dipped in cool water.

They should not be large, but not very small either. I take as much minced meat as a handful, and compact it well so that the finished hedgehogs are more shaped.

6. Our sauce has boiled.

Carefully, so as not to get burned, lower them one by one into the boiling sauce so that they do not touch each other, at least in the first minute. This is done so that a crust forms on their surface, which in the future will not allow the hedgehogs to fall apart.

In the classic recipe, the hedgehogs are first suggested to be fried, but personally, this seems unnecessary to me - the crust forms remarkably as the meat comes into contact with the hot sauce, and excess oil has never been beneficial.
7. Having dipped all the vegetables into the sauce, wait until the sauce boils again (a couple of minutes, no more) and switch the multi to the “Stew” mode for 1 hour.

8. Serve ready-made minced hedgehogs with absolutely any side dish or without it at all. Bon appetit!

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