Baked Arancini Balls with Proscuitto

Baked Arancini Balls with Proscuitto

A few years ago I had never heard of arancini much less tasted it. So what is arancini? Essentially it is cooked risotto which is left to cool then scooped up into golf ball shapes. The centre is stuffed with mozarella or other fillings then they are coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. If you are British think of it as a Scotch egg. Either way, they are absolutely delicious and I found myself unable to resist when they were warm from the oven and I was trying to take photographs! My personal preference is not to deep fry food and it is much easier and healthier to bake these in the oven. They are still so crispy too.

What's in these Arancini?

For this recipe you will need risotto rice or it will not have the starch in it to hold it together. I've also used butter, oil, shallots, garlic, vegetable stock, lemon juice, mozzarella and proscuitto. Risotto is normally cooked with a little white wine but this is easily left out and the volume replaced by stock. There's saffron, to give the rice the required orangey glow, and of course the ingredients for breading. I have used egg, flour and panko breadcrumbs.

How to make the risotto balls

Make the risotto by heating the oil and butter in a large deep frying pan then adding the shallots. Sprinkle with salt and cook over a medium heat until the shallots are totally soft and translucent.

Add the crushed garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute then stir in the rice, making sure that all the grains are coated in the oil. If you are using wine add it now and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half.

Next pour in ⅔ of the hot stock  and saffron and stir while it absorbs the liquid. Add the remaining stock, if required, a ladelful at a time until the rice is cooked and creamy, stirring all the time. This will take about 25 minutes.

Add the grated Parmesan and lemon juice and stir through then season to taste.

Spread the risotto out onto a large oven tray and allow to cool to room temperature while you prepare the filling.

Cut a ball of mozarella in 18 pieces and chop the proscuitto finely.

Line a clean baking sheet with  baking parchment and use a medium ice cream scoop to gather the risotto together. I

Make one scoop at a time into your hands and form a dent in the ball, gather a piece of mozarella and some proscuitto and press into the middle.Smooth the risotto around the filling and form into a ball shape before placing  on the baking parchment. Repeat until the rice has been used up. It should make 18 balls about golf ball size.

Put the arancini in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the flour, egg and panko for the breading stage and line baking sheets with non stick coating. Heat the oven to 180C.

Dip the rice balls in flour, then egg then roll in the panko breadcrumbs. Place on a non stick  baking sheet or lined sheet and spray with vegetable oil or other spray for extra colour and crispness.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden and heated through, turning over carefully after 10 minutes. Serve warm from the oven with a tomato sauce. You could use a salsa from a jar.

These little morsels will be crisp on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside. Perfect for sharing....or not!

Storing

You could store the arancini unbaked in the fridge for 2 days or cook them and freeze them for up to 3 months. Re heat in the oven for 15 minutes until piping hot.

Related Dishes

How about Wild Mushroom Risotto? This recipe uses the same quick risotto method and is delicious made with any type of mushroom. You could use any leftover cooled risotto like this to make the arancini.

Or how about Baked Halloumi Fries? These are really simple and delicious and use panko breadcrumbs for the coating. How about a sharing platter including the halloumi fries and arancini?

📋 Recipe

Baked Arancini with Mozarella and Proscuitto

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Amanda

Baked risotto balls stuffed full of mozarella and proscuitto

4.82 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Chilling 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Calories 611 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the risotto

• 350 g arborio rice or other risotto rice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 150 ml white wine like Pinot Grigio
• 1 litre vegetable stock hot
• 120 g Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove crushed

For the filling

• 125 g mozarella ball drained weight
• 40 g proscuitto about 2 slices

For the breading

• 100 g plain flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

 

• Make the risotto by heating in the oil and butter then adding the shallots. Sprinkle with salt and cook over a medium heat until the shallots are totally soft and translucent. 
• Add the crushed garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute then stir in the rice, making sure that all the grains are coated in the oil.

  If you are using wine add it now and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half.
• Next pour in ⅔ of the hot stock  and saffron and stir while it absorbs the liquid. Add the remaining stock, if required, a ldelful at a time until the rice is cooked and creamy. This will take about 25 minutes.
• Add the Parmesan and lemon juice and stir through then season to taste.
• Spread the risotto out onto a large oven tray and allow to cool to room temperature while you prepare the filling.
• Cut a ball of mozarella in 18 pieces and chop the proscuitto finely.
• Line a clean baking sheet with  baking parchment and use a medium ice cream scoop to gather the risotto together, (it will make 18 balls).

  Make one scoop at a time into your hands and form a dent in the ball, gather a piece of mozarella and some proscuitto and press into the middle.Smooth the risotto around the filling and form into a ball shape before placing  on the baking parchment. Repeat until the rice has been used up.
• Put the arancini in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.

  In the meantime prepare the flour, egg and panko for the breading stage and line baking sheets with non stick coating. Heat the oven to 180 c.
• Dip the rice balls in flour, then egg then roll in the panko breadcrumbs.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden and heated through, turning over carefully after 10 minutes. Serve warm from the oven.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Arancini with Mozarella and Proscuitto

Amount Per Serving

Calories 611 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 94mg31%

Sodium 659mg29%

Potassium 208mg6%

Carbohydrates 75g25%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 22g44%

Vitamin A 435IU9%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 390mg39%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Give the pank extra colour by laying on a baking sheet, lightly spraying with oil and baking at 180 C for about 10 minutes.  

Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.

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