Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini

These Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside . The savoury bolognese, and fresh fiore de latte filling is complimented by the creamy rice and sharp parmesan in the risotto. This filling contrasts perfectly with the crispy golden breaded outside of these delicious morsels.

I’ve loved risotto from the first time I ordered a simple white wine risotto and was immediately hooked. It’s hearty, creamy, flavourful, and satisfying. It satisfies the same cravings as a delicious pasta dish and goes beautifully with fresh fiore de latte mozzarella which is why I’ve chosen to pair them in this dish.

Arancini (or Arancine singular) are delicious stuffed rice balls that originate in Sicily in Southern Italy. I was introduced to Arancini for the first time when a friend ordered it as an appetizer at am Italian restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised that so much flavour could be packed into what is essentially a fried ball of rice. For years I ordered arancini at restaurants, but until recently it didn’t occur to me to make it myself. When I finally did I realized they are not only delicious, but simple to make as well!

These Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside . The savoury bolognese, and fresh fiore de latte filling is complimented by the creamy rice and sharp parmesan in the risotto. This filling contrasts perfectly with the crispy golden breaded outside of these delicious morsels.

The Arancini are perfect on their own, but are also delicious when served alongside my homemade marinara sauce . They are perfect as a meal, or served as an appetizer or finger food at a party. I promise that once you try this recipe it will change the way you think about rice! Best of all, if you prepare the risotto in the Instant Pot and use leftover bolognese this delicious dish can be on your table in 45 minutes!

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 5 minutes
• Cooking Time – 40 minutes
• Total Time – 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR BOLOGNESE AND MOZZARELLA ARANCINI

All the ingredients for this dish are easy to source from any local grocer.

Red Wine Risotto

• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 Large onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 4 cups Chicken Broth, preferably homemade
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan

Bolognese and Mozzarella Filling

• 2oo grams Fiore de Latte Mozzarella
• 1 cup Pork and Beef Bolognese

Arancini

• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 Saffron Risotto Recipe

WHAT IS ARBORIO RICE?

Arborio rice is a short grain Italian rice that is often used to make risotto. It has a high starch content and absorbs less liquid, resulting in a sticky, creamy risotto.

CAN I USE OLD WINE IN MY RED WINE RISOTTO?

People often say that they have an open bottle that’s starting to go off, so they’ll just use it for cooking. I don’t understand this. Wine imparts beautiful flavour to this meal, so why would you use a bottle that’s starting to sour? You wouldn’t! Although this risotto only uses a quarter cup of wine, the flavour is still integral to the dish. That said, you certainly don’t need to buy an expensive bottle specifically for this meal. Use something you enjoy the taste of, because that is the flavour that will be imparted to your dish.

CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?

If you’d like to make these arancini vegetarian, simply cook the risotto with vegetable stock and stuff them with only the fiore de latte mozzarella. They will be different of course, but still tasty.

SHOULD I RINSE THE ARBORIO RICE BEFORE COOKING?

Unlike regular cooked rice, you should never ever rinse your rice before cooking risotto! Rinsing rice reduces its starch content and prevents it from sticking to itself. Risotto rice needs to maintain it’s sticky consistency as it’s key to creating a a creamy dish.

HOW SHOULD I SERVE THE ARANCINI?

I like to serve them on their own, or with a simple marinara sauce as either an appetizer or a main. If you’d like to serve them as part of a larger meal they would work beautifully with a simple side salad. I would suggest that any side dish be fresh and light to offset the fried arancini balls. I also think they would be wonderful served as finger food at a party with or without marinara on the side.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF RICE IN THE RISOTTO?

Carnaroli would be an excellent substitute for Arborio rice. It is also a short grained Italian rice with a high starch content that doesn’t absorb too much liquid and keeps it’s shape well in the risotto.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE IN THE RISOTTO?

This risotto works best with a salty, hard cheese. Pecorino and Grana Padano would both work well as substitutes for Parmesan.

CAN I USE PREPACKAGED LEMON JUICE INSTEAD OF FRESH LEMON?

Prepackaged lemon juice can be used in many dishes, but I would not suggest you use it in this recipe. Lemon juice is the one of the stars of the risotto in these delicious arancini, so you absolutely need to use freshly squeezed lemon in this pasta.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE IN THE ARANCINI?

The key to the delicious arancini is gooey cheese inside. I believe fiore de latte and buffalo mozzarella work best in this recipes, however gouda and havarti would work as well.

CAN I USE SEASONED BREADCRUMBS?

I always buy plain breadcrumbs because I like to be able to season food to my own liking, and I find the notion of shelf stable cheese (which is normally in seasoned breadcrumbs) unpleasant. I always recommend using unseasoned breadcrumbs.

EQUIPMENT FOR BOLOGNESE AND MOZZARELA ARANCINI

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini:

• Instant Pot –The Instant Pot is a wonderful tool for the preparation of risotto. It allows me to walk away while it’s cooking without concern, and it greatly reduces the cooking time while still producing a creamy risotto . I highly recommend purchasing this tool.

• Chef’s Knife

• Cutting Board

• Mortar and Pestle

• Cookie scoop (3 tbsp) – I strongly recommend a cookie scoop in order to make equally sized arancini. I love my OXO cookie scoop so much that I own it in three sizes. I use the 3 tbsp large scoop in this recipe.

• 1 1/2 tsp Cookie Scoop

• Wooden Spoon

• Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t possibly recommend it enough.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

If you follow a few simple rules your Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini will turn out perfectly the first time!

1. Never ever rinse your rice when making risotto.
2. Use fresh mozzarella in these arancini.
3. Form the arancini with damp hands: this will prevent the rice from sticking to you.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

You can make the risotto up to three days in advance for this recipe. You can use your leftover bolognese for these arancini.

I would strongly recommend eating these arancini fresh if at all possible.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy these amazing Bolognese and Mozzarella Arancini!

OTHER SIMILAR DISHES

Baked Chicken Croquettes

Savory Mushroom Arancini

Saffron Arancini with Sausage

OTHER DISHES WITH BOLOGNESE

Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

The Best Bolognese Lasagna

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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