Are you wondering what to do with the leftover rice? Here, we have a wonderful Italian Rice Balls Recipe that is prepared with rice and cheese and served with marinara sauce. It’s so delicious and cheesy that everyone will be in awe of your culinary skills!

Italian Rice Balls

This Italian Rice Balls Recipe, also known as Arancini, is a great idea to serve as a side dish with the Italian dinner. If you are planning to prepare pasta for this dinner, you can think of preparing Italian rice balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese. Really a great recipe to be enjoyed by kids as well!

You can also pair these rice balls with bread cheese balls to craft a perfect starter menu for your guests!

Delicious Italian Rice Balls Dinner Recipe!

These baseball-sized rice balls are coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried to add crispiness to these Italian delights. Adding traditional Marinara sauce will give you the much-needed tanginess to the dish!

This Italian recipe is a perfect starter recipe as you can prepare them ahead of time, freeze them, and fry them just before serving. The melted mozzarella combined with rice will work wonders for your party and ooze your guests with crunchy, creamy, and cheesy balls!

Quick Stats:

  • Prep time: 45 minutes
  • Cooking time: 15 minutes
  • Servings: 24 balls

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • Half a cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of dried basil
  • One-fourth teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • Half a teaspoon of salt or as per the taste
  • Two and one-fourth cups of chicken broth or water
  • 1 cup of uncooked white rice
  • One and a half cups of dried breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups of olive oil or vegetable oil for deep frying
  • Half a cup of mozzarella cheese

Method to Prepare:

  • Add 2 eggs, grated parmesan cheese, dried basil or dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
  • Whisk all ingredients well, cover the bowl with a lid, and keep it in the refrigerator.
  • Now, take a large saucepan and add chicken broth or water (whatever you are using) and a half teaspoon of salt into it.
  • Bring it to a boil, and then add the uncooked rice to it. Cook the rice over low heat until the broth or water is completely absorbed, or for about 15-16 minutes.
  • Once it is cooked entirely, remove the saucepan from the heat.
  • Add the egg mixture to the rice and stir everything continuously until the eggs are mixed completely into the rice.
  • But make sure not to scramble the eggs. Then, store the rice in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for one hour.
  • Take a shallow dish and pour breadcrumbs into it.
  • Now, wet your hands with water, and you have to make balls for around 1 inch by taking the rice and egg mixture.
  • After making all the rice balls, damp them into breadcrumbs one by one and keep them aside.
  • Now, it’s time to fry the rice balls, so take a deep medium-sized skillet and pour enough oil in it so the rice balls can be fried properly.
  • So, heat the oil to a temperature at which you can deep fry the rice balls.
  • Now, put 4-6 balls at a time and keep them turning until they turn brown.
  • Then, drain these fried Italian rice balls on paper towels and serve them hot with marinara sauce or any sauce of your choice.

Quick Tip:

  • If you want to make these Italian rice balls cheesier, you can add a small cube of mozzarella cheese in the center of each rice ball and roll them perfectly.

Nutritional Value (Per Serving):

  • Calories: 276cal
  • Fat: 23.2g
  • Cholesterol: 20.1mg
  • Carbohydrate: 13.9g
  • Protein: 3.5g

Must Read – Rice Pudding Recipe – Classic and creamy all-time favorite dessert

Final Words

These Italian rice balls recipe loaded with cheese is a perfect party treat to surprise your guests with something unique using the great combination of rice and cheese. These crispy rice balls can be your best appetizer so far and become your guests’ all-time favorite party dish.

What about hosting a party with an Italian dinner and serving Italian rice balls as the side dish? Really a great idea to be accomplished!