Mini Baked Arancini

Name: Mini Baked Arancini
Total time: 240 min
Ingredients: olive oil; onion, diced; carnaroli or arborio rice; white wine; high quality chicken stock; ricotta cheese; parmesan cheese; fine dry breadcrumbs; Instant Oats; eggs, beaten; mozzarella cheese, drained, diced; finely chopped salted pistachios; finely grated Parmesan cheese

crispy and gooey with mozzarella & pistachio

240 min

mini baked arancini with mozzarella and pistachio

By Izy Hossack
December 16, 2022

Why trust us?

These crispy little rice balls stuffed with mozzarella & pistachio are a crowd-pleasing appetiser. Usually arancini are deep fried but to make them a bit healthier, these are baked (or air-fried!) until golden and crunchy. These mini baked arancini are downsized to a two-bite snack, making them perfect to serve at Christmas or New Year’s Eve parties.

Ingredients

14 Persons

RISOTTO:

1 tbsp

olive oil
1

onion, diced
200 g

carnaroli or arborio rice
125 ml

white wine
700 ml

high quality chicken stock
100 g

ricotta cheese
40 g

parmesan cheese
pinch

salt, to taste

COATING:

60 g

fine dry breadcrumbs
40 g

Instant Oats
2

eggs, beaten

FILLING:

100 g

mozzarella cheese, drained, diced
30 g

finely chopped salted pistachios
20 g

finely grated Parmesan cheese
gratings

fresh nutmeg

Preparation

1

For the risotto, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned – around 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 1-2 minutes until the rice is starting to turn translucent. Pour in the wine and stir until it has mostly been absorbed.
2

Gradually add the chicken stock, one ladleful at a time, stirring between additions and allowing the stock to be fully absorbed before adding more. Taste the rice and check it is fully cooked – if it isn’t, add some water, stirring between additions, until the rice is fully cooked. Finally, stir in the ricotta and parmesan. Taste the risotto and season with salt, if needed.
3

Spread the risotto out on a plate and allow to cool at room temperature before transferring to the fridge to cool fully (at least 3 hours, up to 24 hours).
4

When ready to shape the arancini: take 3 shallow, wide dishes. Place the breadcrumbs into one dish, the instant oats into a separate dish and the beaten eggs into a third dish.
5

In a small bowl, stir together the mozzarella, pistachios, parmesan and nutmeg.
6

Take around 3 tbsp of the cooled risotto and roll into a ball, poke a hole in the centre and push in some of the pistachio-cheese mixture. Add a little more risotto to cover the hole and seal the arancino. Roll into a ball – it should be just slightly bigger than a golf ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto and filling until you have shaped all of the arancini.
7

Roll each ball into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs so they are fully coated. Spray the balls with spray oil (or alternatively, drizzle with oil using a spoon).
8

Air fry at 220C for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until browned and crispy. Alternatively, bake in a preheated oven at 220C for 15-20 minutes.
9

Serve the mini baked arancini hot – I like to have a side of pesto (choose your favourite flavour) or tomato sauce for dipping but they’re delicious on their own, too.
1

Enjoy!