Arancini-Inspired Leftover Rice Baked Stuffed Rice Balls
Serving: 4 portions
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 2 cup large tomato peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 large tomatoes)
- ½ teaspoon sugar (white, granulated) white, granulated
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dry, ground), crushed
- 1 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
For the rice balls
- 2 cup leftover cooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk whole or skim
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 8 pitted green olives
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the sauce
- To prepare the tomato sauce, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Once heated, stir in tomatoes, garlic, and oregano, add the sugar and ½ cup of water.Once heated through, lower heat and simmer covered until you obtain a thick (chunky) sauce. Season with salt to taste. You should obtain about 1 ½ cup of sauce. Remove from the heat, and set it aside.
Step 2: Combine
- While the sauce is boiling, start to make the rice ball by combining rice, flour, milk and ½ cup of water in a medium saucepan.Heat and simmer over very low heat, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Mix in ¼ of a cup of Parmesan (set aside the rest) and cook stirring until it turns into a very thick mix. Remove from the stove and cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Heat the oven
- Heat oven to 450 ºF [230 ºC].While the oven is preheating, place the rice mixture on the clean counter or cutting board, and knead pressing for a minute to make it into a more compact mixture.
Step 4: Make the balls
- To make the balls, place 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture on your hand and flatten, place an olive in the center and wrap the rice around it, shaping into a ball. Squeeze to make sure there are no cracks.Coat the ball with the remaining Parmesan, and squeeze them to make sure the cheese sticks. Repeat to form 7 more balls. Place on a baking tray lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
Step 5: Bake
- To cook the rice balls, bake in the preheated oven until the balls turn golden brown (15-20 mins).Once browned, remove from the oven. Let them cool slightly before serving. Serve alongside the tomato sauce.
Cook's notes
The recipe yields 8 balls of slightly smaller than an egg, you can double the ingredients to make 16 if you wish.
You can also make them and refrigerate or freeze right before baking, and bake soon before your guests arrive you wish.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal
