Air Fryer Stuffed Arancini Balls Recipe
An air fryer adaptation of classic stuffed arancini balls, gooey risotto rice cooked to perfection, then cooled, stuffed with mozzarella cheese and coated in golden bread crumbs. Then served with a wonderful and easy tomato sauce!
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 957kcal
Ingredients
For the Risotto:
- 2 Small-Medium Echalion or Banana Shallots 70g Total
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 100 g Risotto Rice ⅔ Cup
- ½ teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 125 ml White Wine ½ Cup
- 450-500 ml Hot Vegetable Stock 2 Cups
- 50 g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese ½ Cup
For the Bread Crumb Coating:
- 75 g Fine Bread Crumbs ¾ Cup
- 30 g Butter 2 tablespoon
- 75 g Fresh Mozzarella Cheese 2½oz
- 1 Large Egg
- 2-3 tablespoon Flour
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 200 g Tomato Passata ¾ Cup
- 75 ml White Wine ⅓ Cup
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 Pinch Dried Chilli Flakes (optional)
- 1 Handful Fresh Basil
Instructions
Making the Risotto:
- Cut the shallots in half, peel them and then cut them into a dice as finely as you can.
- Peel the garlic and then dice it as finely as you can.
- Keep the vegetable stock hot on a low heat and stir through the oregano and basil.
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Throw in the shallots and cook them for 2 minutes to soften. If they begin to colour, reduce the temperature.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the risotto rice and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring regularly, until almost dry; you want a little "starchy" residue left in the pan. This will take 2-3 minutes.
- Add the stock a ladle at a time (75-100ml or ⅓-½ Cup) and cook until almost dry (as above) before adding the next ladle. For the first 2 or 3 ladles, stir very regularly; after that, you can add a little more stock and stir less regularly.
- Cook until the risotto is creamy and is cooked almost all of the way through; the rice should have the tiniest of "bites" in the centre. This should take 25-30 minutes. You may need to add salt depending on how salty your stock is. Have a taste as you are cooking, and remember you are adding Parmesan cheese.
- Remove from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, then set aside to cool completely (overnight is best). This will yield 450-500g of risotto.
Preparing and Cooking the Stuffed Arancini:
- Heat a 24cm or 10" frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter.
- When the butter begins to foam, throw in the bread crumbs and cook until golden, then transfer to a plate with kitchen paper to absorb any excess butter.
- Cut the mozzarella cheese into 2cm (¾") chunks.
- Lightly beat the egg in a bowl.
- Place the toasted bread crumbs in another bowl
- Dust the risotto balls lightly with flour, then dip them into the egg, draining off any excess egg, then coat them in breadcrumbs and set them aside.
- Place the balls in the air fryer and cook for 12-15 minutes at 170°C or 340°F.
Cooking the Tomato Sauce:
- Heat a small 24cm or 10" frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Bash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
- Add the tomato passata, a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli flakes, then stir to combine, reduce the heat to low when the sauce begins to bubble and cook until the risotto balls are cooked.
- Serve the balls on a bed of the sauce (discard the garlic) and sprinkle with lots of finely shredded basil.
Notes
The timing for this recipe includes the time to make and cool the risotto!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 957kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 1812mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g
