Arancini Recipe
This easy arancini recipe makes crispy, cheesy, golden-fried Italian rice balls filled with melty pockets of tangy goat cheese. Customize the filling any way you'd like!
Servings: 4 servings (12 arancini)
Equipment
Ingredients
To Make the Risotto
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots finely diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 medium zucchini finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2¾ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh goat cheese
To Make the Arancini
- ½ cup fresh goat cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
To Make the Risotto
- Sauté the veggies. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, season with salt, and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the zucchini. Sauté until tender and nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toast the rice. Add the rice to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to toast.
- Cook the rice. Add the white wine. Cook until mostly evaporated. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add ½ cup of the broth. Cook until the vegetable broth absorbs into the rice, stirring occasionally. Repeat until you are out of broth, and don't forget to stir. If the rice is not fully cooked by the time you run out of vegetable broth, add a bit more broth or water, ½ cup at a time, until the rice is cooked through.
- Finish the rice. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan and goat cheese.
- Cool. Allow the rice to cool to room temperature before continuing. If you are not ready to make the arancini right away, store the cooled rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To Make the Arancini
- Form the arancini. Divide the rice mixture into 12 portions and form the remaining goat cheese into 12 balls. Use your hands to form a portion of the rice mixture into a flat circle in your palm. Add a goat cheese ball to the center of the circle. Close the rice mixture around the goat cheese and form it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining portions of the rice mixture and goat cheese.
- Bread the arancini. Add the egg to a small bowl and the flour to another. In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, salt, and pepper. Dip a goat cheese-stuffed rice ball into the flour bowl, coating it thoroughly. Dip the ball into the egg, coating it thoroughly. Allow any excess egg to drip off the ball into the bowl. Dip the ball into the breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly.
- Heat the oil. Pour 4 inches of vegetable oil into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat until a piece of bread added to the oil turns golden brown within 45 seconds. You could also use a thermometer and start frying the rice balls when the oil has reached a temperature of about 350˚F to 375˚F.
- Fry the arancini. Gently lower the rice balls into the oil and fry for 8-10 minutes. Turn the fried arancini out onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve. Serve the arancini warm with a fresh green salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 691kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1289mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 988IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 6mg
