I'm always looking for something new and fun to do with leftover rice. I should probably just start making less rice but where is the fun in that? I like to make this for my vegetarian friends as an alternative to a meatball. They can be stuffed with just about anything but I love cheese!
Ingredients
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled (leftover)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 eggs
8 small cubes fresh mozzarella
1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying
1 cup store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
Directions
- Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to rise 4 inches in the pot.
- Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a medium bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture.
- Form each arancini by taking a small portion of the mixture, squeezing it firmly and stuffing one cube of mozzarella inside each ball.
- Repeat this process to form 8 arancini.
- Whisk together the remaining 2 eggs. Dip each arancini in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
- Once the oil reaches 375F, add 2 or 3 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt the arancini. Repeat the frying process with the remaining arancini.
- Serve the arancini warm with a side of warm marinara sauce.
