You want to know how you can take arancini up a notch? Fill them with goats cheese, then dip them in a spicy tomato and red pepper dipping sauce. I guarantee that your guests will just want to keep coming back for more.
There couldn’t possibly be a better way to use up leftover risotto. Oh, and if you need a risotto recipe to make for these arancini balls, then use my Herby Risotto Recipe. Don’t worry about the pan seared duck if it doesn’t interest you, as it isn’t relevant to this recipe.
The cheesy middle
Usually, arancini has a bit of fresh mozzarella in the middle, so when you open it up you can see that stringy cheese. Why did I use goats cheese instead this time? Honestly, there is no reason other than I wanted to try something different.
Mozzarella gives and nice melty, stringy texture inside, whereas goats cheese is more creamy and soft. Feel free to experiment with whatever cheese you want, however, just know that a little goes a long way. 1 little teaspoons worth is more than enough.
And if you really don’t like the idea of adding the cheese and the risotto filling is enough for you, this is totally fine.
Double coating the rice balls
The first time I made this dish, some of the rice oozed out of the arancini. And for the best arancini ball, you want the rice and cheese filling to be nicely sealed in. The way to do this is to simply double coat your arancini balls when you panee them (coat them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs).
So you would dip the rice balls in flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, back in the egg again and then coat in the second layer of breadcrumbs. You don’t have to give the arancini balls the second coating. It just means some of the filling might break out of a few of the arancini balls if you don’t, but it isn’t a huge deal in my opinion.
Using leftover dipping sauce
Now this recipe calls for quite a bit of dipping sauce, but if you are a constant dunker (like me) then you may be surprised by just how fast the dipping sauce can disappear. So I think it’s worth making plenty.
However, what do you do if you have a lot of leftover dipping sauce? You could just keep it in the fridge if you think you’ll use it again. Or, you can use it to coat your pasta!! And it works perfectly because the dipping sauce has a saucy texture more so that a paste-like texture.
Freezing and re-heating the arancini balls
So, I tested this out. I froze an arancini ball, I took it out of the freezer a few days later, pre-heated my oven to about 200 degrees C, then I reheated the arancini ball in the oven for 20 minutes. It actually turned out really well! Now, arancini balls are always going to be their best when they are served right after being deep fried, but if you have leftovers, this is the best way to keep them and re-heat them.
If you care about retaining as much quality as possible, avoid re-heating your arancini balls in the microwave. Re-heating deep-fried products in a microwave will just make them go soggy. Also, try not to leave the arancini balls out of the freezer for too long before re-heating them, because the water content can melt over the arancini and again, can make the outside go soggy.
Thank you so much for reading through my post, and I highly encourage you to make these arancini balls. Especially if you have leftover risotto. Feel free to subscribe to stay updated for new posts and to receive a free ebook featuring 10 amazing recipes.
Much love to you all, see you in the next one!
Arancini Balls Recipe with Tomato and Red Pepper Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Spicy tomato and red pepper dipping sauce (optional)
- 1 tin 400g of plum tomatoes
- 200 g of jarred/tinned roasted red peppers
- 1 red chili roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- A bunch of fresh basil leaves shredded
Arancini
- 600 g of leftover cold risotto (click the link to check out my risotto recipe)
- 3 eggs
- 25 g of goats cheese
- 150 g flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
- 150 g breadcrumbs mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper (gluten free breadcrumbs if you're gluten free)
- Plenty of vegetable oil for deep frying
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
Dipping sauce (optional)
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Put the tinned tomatoes, red peppers, red chili, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth then transfer to a pot.
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Alternatively, if you don't have a blender, you could just put all the ingredients in the pot and use a hand blender instead.
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Bring to the boil on high heat on the stove. Once the sauce is boiling, turn the heat down low and gently simmer the sauce for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally until it the sauce has thickened. I recommend half covering the pot with a lid because the sauce can splatter a fair bit while simmering. Turn the heat off, stir your basil leaves through the sauce then set aside.
Arancini
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Put the risotto in a bowl.
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Get one of your eggs, then separate the yolk from the white. Add the yolk to the risotto mixture and the white in a separate bowl. Mix the yolk through the risotto.
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Get a bowl of water, then lightly wet your hands.
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Get a golf ball sized piece of risotto rice in your hand, then push a small dent in it with your finger. Fill it with a small bit of the goats cheese, then mould the risotto rice around the cheese into a ball.
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Do the same with the rest of the risotto and set aside.
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Crack the other 2 eggs in the bowl with the egg white, add a pinch of salt and pepper then whisk well with a fork. Put your seasoned flour on one plate, and your seasoned breadcrumbs on another plate.
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Roll some of your rice balls on plate with the flour making sure they are all coated. Shake off the excess flour then dip them in the bowl with the egg. Finally, transfer to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and coat well. Once all of your rice balls are coated, put them on a plate, then put in the fridge to firm up.
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Put enough oil in a pot to deep fry, then get it on the stove on high flame. Pre-heat for about 8-10 minutes. You can test to see if the oil is hot enough by adding a peice of bread, if it is floating and bubbling you are ready to start frying the Arancini. Get some kitchen paper ready. From there just turn the heat down to about medium flame.
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Carefully submerge the rice balls in the oil about 4-5 at a time, making sure you don't overcrowd the pot. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes until they go golden brown.
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Transfer your rice balls on the kitchen paper to drain.
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Let them cool for a bit, re-heat the dipping sauce then they are ready to eat. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Serve the arancini as soon as you can after you deep fry them
- Experiment with different cheeses.
- Double coat your rice balls in your breadcrumbs to firmly seal the filling in.
- Use the leftover dipping sauce to coat pasta.
- If you have any leftover arancini, freeze it. To heat it back up, put in a hot, preheated oven for 20-30 minutes.
I enjoy eating arancini though making it is a bit fussy … a 2 day process where I have to make sure I don’t eat all the risotto the first day. 🙂
Haha yer it is a bit fiddly but worth it in the end (:
Funny that I wander over here when I’m about to heat up leftover risotto for dinner tonight! I don’t have time to make these tonight – but I’ll be doing this with the leftovers in the future! Wow! (And bet they’d be lovely using butternut squash risotto – maybe with a browned butter and sage dipping sauce?)
The browned butter sounds like a lovely thing to go with the squash. Thanks so much for your comment (:
These are beautiful Nick!! I’ve only tasted them at restaurants– but hadn’t thought to try to make them myself!! Your photos are so brigth and vivid– just beautiful.
Thanks Rhonda! Yes definately give them a shot if you ever have any leftover risotto (:
This is the first time, I have learned about Arancini. Which country did this beautiful dish originate from? Your pics look delectable. I have printed his recipe and I am contemplating to serve it as part of a light lunch for my guests this weekend. Thanks.
Hi! Arancini originates from Italy. Really hope you enjoy it if you do make it! Just make sure you prepare plenty of risotto. Thanks so much for your comment. (:
Wow Thanks Tim! Really appreciate it (:
These look so delicious, your photos are beautiful as always! ☺️
Thanks so much!! (:
We love arancini and usually make bigger quantities of risotto just to make them. Great tip on double coating them and the step by step pictures.
Oh my! First, off I LOVE your photography. Such a gorgeous presentation of an Italian classic. Arancini can be tricky to nail and pretty flavorless if not made right. Your recipe sounds like it packs a lot of flavor and the addition of red bell pepper to the tomato sauce is genius!
Arancini is one of my absolute FAVORITE dishes! This batch looks so creamy and perfect, I cannot wait to replicate it! Thank you for another seriously amazing recipe!
Mmm, these look delicious. I’ve had arancini a few times but never tried making them. Sharing this on the Cooking Chat Facebook page!
I always use any leftover risotto for arancini balls, they are sooo tasty! love your version of the recipe, must try!
This looks delicious!! I also love your photography too. You make it so clear how to make this!
I love arancini! Especially with a good, rich dipping sauce like this. I’m definitely going to make these!
Hey Emily!! Thank so much for the comment. I hope you like them!!
This comment is very encouraging Cath! I really appreaciate the kind words.
Thanks so much!! It’s definately worth trying it out with a different cheese! (:
Wow thank you so much for sharing! I am grateful! Have an amazing day (:
Thank you Kelly! I always appreaciate your kind words. Keep up the great work you’re doing (:
Your comment made me super happy!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this!
Thanks so much I am glad you like it. Have an amazing day!
These look so good. I have had these out in restaurants but never even dreamed of making them. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Love love love this! What an amazing recipe! I always enjoy your recipes, Nicolas! The step-by-step instructions and pictures and video are so helpful! So delish!!
These look delicious. I’ve had arancini a few times but have never tried making them because it always feels overwhelming to me. I love your post and with the pictures to follow I can’t miss! Pinned to attempt next weekend!
I can’t believe I have never heard of arancini balls! They look amazing!! Can’t wait to try it!
You should definately give them a go!! You’ll never be the same again after having one (:
Thank you Carrie!! I really hope you enjoy them!! You’ll do a fabulous job 😉
Thank you Amanda!! Great to hear from you!!!
Thanks Anne!! Definately worth giving a go (:
Great images Nick…Although I make rice balls the Thai way I hadn’t thought of using other leftovers but I certainly will now yours look very tasty
Ooooo Thai way huh? Very intruiged (: