Italian rice balls, also known as arancini are a delicious Sicilian dish. Arborio rice is cooked and stuffed, then coated and fried until perfectly crispy.
Italian rice balls, also known as aracini are a versatile Italian dish that can be served as an appetizer, side dish or main dish. Arancini di riso, as they are sometimes called, literally means little oranges of rice.
Arancini are typically stuffed with meat, vegetables or cheese and are a deliciously crispy dish that is perfect for Sunday dinner.
These Italian rice balls are a great recipe that can be served with tortellini with alla panna sauce, mussels marinara with linguine or chicken penne alla vodka.
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🍅 Ingredient notes
- Rice - Arborio rice is the best rice for this arancini recipe. It is a short-grain rice that is typically used for risotto. This risotto rice is starchier and makes for a creamier filling in the Italian rice balls. Leftover risotto or leftover white rice can also be used in this recipe. You would need approximately 6 cups of cooked rice or risotto.
- Meat - These Italian rice balls are filled with a reduced meat sauce or ragu made from ground beef. Ground pork or veal can also be used.
- Sauce - I typically serve these stuffed arancini balls with my Italian gravy. Any marinara sauce or herbed tomato sauce can be used as well. They are great served on top of sauce or with it served on the side as a dip.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Vegetarian - Different fillings can be used in these Italian rice balls. A chunk of mozzarella cheese or sauteed fresh spinach mixed with shreddded mozzarella would also be great.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, make the filling by sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with kosher salt and black pepper. Add the ground beef to the mixture and cook a few minutes more until browned.
Stir in the tomato puree and then let the mixture simmer over medium low heat. Continue to cook until it is slightly reduced down and thickened. Mix in the peas and then set the mixture aside to cool completely.
While the filling is cooling, toast the arborio rice in olive oil in a saucepan. Mix in the chicken broth and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer it, uncovered, until it is cooked to al dente. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet and allow it to cool completely.
When the mixture is cooled, add the rice to a large bowl and mix in the eggs and parmesan cheese.
Take a handful of rice and flatten it slightly in the palm of your hand, creating a well in the center. Spoon a small amount of the meat filling into the middle. Then wrap the rice mixture around it, forming a ball, with the filling inside and an even layer of rice surrounding it.
Set the stuffed balls aside on a sheet pan or plate lined with parchment paper and repeat with the remaining rice mixture.
Heat the vegetable oil to 350˚ in a pot large enough so there is just enough oil to cover the balls.
While the oil is heating, whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl to be used for breading the arancini. Then, add the flour and breadcrumbs into two separate shallow dishes or plates.
Dip the balls of rice into the flour, then the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs so they are completely breaded on all sides. Place breaded rice balls on a clean plate or baking sheet.
Fry the risotto balls in the hot oil in batches, rolling them gently in the oil, for 2-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove the balls using a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on paper towels.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Cook the rice until it is just al dente so it's cooked through but still has a slight bite to it. This will help to make sure the rice balls don't get mushy.
- Make sure to cool both the rice and the ragu completely so these Italian rice balls are easy to form.
- Form smaller sized balls for use as an appetizer or side dish and larger sized balls for a main dish.
- Don't overfill the rice balls or they may fall apart when frying. There should be an even coating of rice around the filling that is approximately ½ inch thick.
- For best results, make sure to shake off any excess flour, egg or bread crumbs so the breading doesn't get too thick and fall apart.
- Don't overcrowd the pan while frying or the temperature of the oil to drop. This will cause the arancini to sit in the oil too long and become overly greasy.
- Fry the arancini until just golden brown so they don't break apart or burn.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
Arancini rice balls can be made up to a day ahead of time. After frying them, let them cool completely and store them on a sheet pan wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. For serving time, remove the plastic wrap and cook them in a 400˚ oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through.
The Italian rice balls can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap after cooling and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen balls should be thawed completely in the refrigerator and then heated up as directed above.
🍝 More Italian recipes
If you loved this recipe for Italian rice balls, check out these other Italian recipes that I know you will love too!
📖 Recipe
Italian Rice Balls (Arancini)
Ingredients
Meat Ragu Filling
- 2 Teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ cup diced yellow onion
- ⅛ cup diced carrots
- ⅛ cup diced celery
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces ground beef or ground veal or pork
- 14 ounces tomato puree
- ½ cup frozen peas
Risotto Rice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups arborio rice or short grain white rice
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
Assembly
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
- 1-2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Ragu Meat Filling
- Heat a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat and then add in the olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots and celery and season with the salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the ground beef to the vegetable mixture and cook, while breaking it up, for 2-3 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Carefully pour in the tomato puree and stir to combine everything together. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the mixture simmer for 30-45 minutes until it has reduced and slightly thickened.
- Stir in the frozen peas and set the sauce aside to cool completely in the refrigerator.
Risotto Rice
- While the ragu is cooling, heat a saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil for the risotto rice.
- Once the oil is hot and starts to shimmer in the pan, add the arborio rice and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the rice simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked to al dente.
- Spread the cooked rice into an even layer on a sheet pan and allow it to cool completely in the refrigerator.
- Once the rice has completely cooled, mix it in a large bowl with the beaten eggs and parmesan cheese.
Assembly
- Take a small handful of the rice mixture in the palm of your hand and flatten it slightly, creating a well in the center.
- Spoon a small amount of the cooled ragu filling into the middle of the rice. Wrap the rice around the filling, gently pressing it into a ball with the filling inside and thin layer of rice around it.
- Place the formed ball onto a clean sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper and repeat with the remaining rice mixture.
- In a small bowl or shallow dish, whisk the four eggs. In two other separate dishes, place the flour and then the breadcrumbs.
- In a large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil over medium heat to 350˚.
- While the oil is heating, take one of the formed rice balls and dip it in the flour mixture so it is completely coated and then shake off any excess flour. Next, dip the ball into the egg mixture so it is coated completely and let any excess liquid drip from it. Lastly, place the ball in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing it into all of the sides so the whole ball is breaded.
- Place the breaded rice ball on a clean sheet pan and repeat the breading process with the remaining rice balls.
- Working in batch, fry the arancini in the hot oil, for 2-4 minutes while gently rolling them around in the oil, until they are golden brown on all sides.
- Remove the rice balls from the oil, using a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on a paper towel or cooling rack until the remaining balls have been fried.
- Serve the arancini on top of marinara or with it on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Smaller sized rice balls can be made for an appetizer or side dish and larger sized may be made for use as a main dish.
- Cook the rice until just al dente so the rice balls don't get too mushy.
- Cool the rice and the ragu completely so the balls are easier to form.
- Don't overfill the rice balls or they might fall apart. Aim for an even coating of rice around the filling that is approximately ½ inch thick.
- For best results, make sure to shake off any excess flour, egg or bread crumbs so the breading doesn't get too thick and fall apart.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when you are frying the balls or the temperature of the oil will drop and the arancini will get too greasy.
- Fry the arancini until just golden brown so they don't break apart or burn.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetarian - Instead of ragu, stuff the rice balls with a chunk of mozzarella cheese or sautéed fresh spinach mixed with shredded mozzarella cheese.
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