Italian Rice Balls

I had never had these before making them. I heard of them mentioned by Robert De Niro in the movie “Last Vegas”. I wanted to try them. So I searched the internet for a recipe and didn’t find one that I really liked to well. So I went ahead and created my own. I also made them with risotto in place of the rice. (I will share that recipe another time)

These are some work but I promise its worth every bit of the work! They can be used as an appetizer or a main dish. Here is the recipe that I made:

Italian Rice Balls Recipe:

Ingredients:

10 cups cooked white rice
2 eggs
3/4 cup parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
1 cup italian cheese blend (or mozzarella)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
4 eggs whisked well
3-4 cups bread crumbs
Oil for frying

Directions:

If rice is hot, temper the eggs before adding (tempering is slowly adding small amounts of the hot rice to the egg and making the egg closer to the temp of the rice so the egg doesn’t cook). Mix egg and the grated parmesan cheese with the rice. Chill for 2-8 hours.
In a skillet add olive oil, onion, and garlic; cook on medium until the onions are translucent. Combine pork and beef. Add the ground meat to the onions and cook until no longer pink. Drain the grease.
Add the tomato sauce, paste, basil and italian seasoning. Set aside.
Grab a small handful of the rice mixture. Shape the rice into a bowl. Add a spoonful of the meat mixture to the center of the rice bowl. Now add a pinch of the italian cheese on top of the meat mixture.

Grab another handful of the rice mixture. Place this on the cheese and meat. Shape the rice around the sides and make it into a ball. Make the remaining rice into rice balls.

Dip each rice ball in the whisked eggs, shake off excess egg and then dip it into the bread crumbs.
Heat a skillet ( I love my large cast iron skillet for this part) with some oil filled about 2/3 of the way. Heat until when you drop a pinch of bread crumbs it sizzles. Insert a skewer into the rice ball, all the way to the meat/cheese center. Fry each rice ball on each side until golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil.

Serve Hot with red sauce and top with a little more italian cheese and Enjoy #homemadeYUMMY

Italian Rice Balls

Recipe Type: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Author: My World Simplified.com

Ingredients

10 cups cooked white rice
2 eggs
3/4 cup parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
1 cup italian cheese blend (or mozzarella)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
4 eggs whisked well
3-4 cups bread crumbs
Oil for frying

Instructions

If rice is hot, temper the eggs before adding (tempering is slowly adding small amounts of the hot rice to the egg and making the egg closer to the temp of the rice so the egg doesn’t cook). Mix egg and the grated parmesan cheese with the rice. Chill for 2-8 hours.
In a skillet add olive oil, onion, and garlic; cook on medium until the onions are translucent. Combine pork and beef. Add the ground meat to the onions and cook until no longer pink. Drain the grease.
Add the tomato sauce, paste, basil and italian seasoning. Set aside.
Grab a small handful of the rice mixture. Shape the rice into a bowl. Add a spoonful of the meat mixture to the center of the rice bowl. Now add a pinch of the italian cheese on top of the meat mixture.
Grab another handful of the rice mixture. Place this on the cheese and meat. Shape the rice around the sides and make it into a ball. Make the remaining rice into rice balls.
Dip each rice ball in the whisked eggs, shake off excess egg and then dip it into the bread crumbs.
Heat a skillet ( I love my large cast iron skillet for this part) with some oil filled about 2/3 of the way. Heat until when you drop a pinch of bread crumbs it sizzles. Insert a skewer into the rice ball, all the way to the meat/cheese center. Fry each rice ball on each side until golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil.
Serve Hot with red sauce and top with a little more italian cheese and Enjoy #homemadeYUMMY