Wondering how to turn leftover risotto into arancini? This easy recipe is the best way to serve leftover risotto!
What could be better than fried balls of cheese and risotto? I recently discovered that arancini are easy to make, and it would be the perfect way to use up leftover risotto! My WCBC partner Erin asked if I could help her make arancini since her husband's co-worker asked her to bring them to a party. Erin figured that I could help and turn the project into a blog post. Of course, I agreed since risotto is one of my favorite things to make.
To make the arancini, I made a mushroom and shallot risotto with some Parmesan. We did make sure to finely chop the mushrooms and shallots so that we could easily form the risotto into balls without dealing with large chunks of vegetables. When I make risotto, always follow the same steps to prepare the rice, and then once the rice is ready, I add in sautéed vegetables and cheese. You could use this recipe for Mushroom, Manchego, and Almond Risotto as a guide. We started with 2 cups of arborio rice, and added 1 cup of Parmesan, 1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms, and ⅓ cup of shallots. Adding cheese is important since it will help hold the arancini together.
When we turned the risotto into arancini we put a small ball of mozzarella in the center. The melty cheese in the middle made the arancini extra special. Pearl mozzarella were the perfect size.
Erin and I made a big batch of arancini, so I served half to my girl friends when they came over for a cupcake and rosé party. It was a great appetizer to serve at a party since I could do all of the prep work ahead of time, and keep the arancini warm in the oven until guests arrived. Plus, who doesn't love fried cheese and carbs?!
How to Turn Leftover Risotto into Arancini
Ingredients
- 4 cups of Risotto
- 4 Eggs
- "Pearl" Mozzarella Balls
- 1 ½ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Parchment Paper
Instructions
- Line a container that will fit in your fridge with parchment. Prepare some sheets of parchment to separate layers of arancini.
- Start with either cold or room temperature risotto - hot risotto could cook your eggs and you don't want chunks of scrambled egg in your risotto.
- Whisk the eggs together, and then stir them into the risotto. Add 1 cup breadcrumbs and stir. You want the mixture to be sticky, but not too wet. If you think it is too wet, add some extra breadcrumbs.
- Then form the arancini. Take 1 mozzarella ball, and a generous spoonful of the risotto, and form a ball of risotto around the mozzarella. The result will be arancini about the size of golf balls. Place in the parchment lined container.
- Continue forming arancini until all the risotto is gone. Layer the arancini in the container using parchment to separate the layers.
- Refrigerate the arancini for at least one hour - this helps the arancini stay together when they get fried.
- Pour ½ cup of the breadcrumbs in to a bowl. Stack 4 paper towels on top of each other and place near the stove. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat until a thermometer reaches 350 degrees.
- Roll the arancini in the breadcrumbs, then use a slotted spoon to lower them into the oil. Cook 3-4 at a time. Fry the arancini until golden brown flipping them to brown all sides. As soon as the arancini reach a golden brown, use the slotted spoon to remove them from the oil, and place them on the paper towels to let the excess oil drain off. Continue this process, frying all the arancini.
- Either serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until serving.
