Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

aranigi (italian meat balls)

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Trina Martell
Minneapolis, MN

These take a little time to make but it's well worth it. I make a double batch and freeze half for later. They make a wonderful appetizer.

(1 rating)
yield 4 -6
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 30 Min

Ingredients For aranigi (italian meat balls)

  • STEP ONE - INGREDIENTS
  • 3 3/4 c
    water
  • 1 1/3 c
    uncooked brown rice (do not use instant rice)
  • 2 clove
    garlic
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • 1/4 tsp
    salt
  • STEP TWO - INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 c
    thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
  • 1/2 c
    mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 c
    fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tsp
    olive oil, extra virgin
  • STEP THREE - INGREDIENTS
  • 3
    egg whites
  • 3 Tbsp
    parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • STEP FOUR - INGREDIENTS
  • 2
    egg whites
  • 1 tsp
    olive oil, extra virgin
  • 1 c
    bread crumbs, dry
  • STEP FIVE - DEEP FRYING
  • 3 c
    vegetable oil

How To Make aranigi (italian meat balls)

  • 1
    Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice, garlic, bay leaf, and salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Discard garlic and bay leaf. Drain rice and allow to cool.
  • 2
    In a medium bowl, combine Prosciutto, mozzarella cheese & basil. Pour olive oil over and toss to coat.
  • 3
    Add egg whites & Parmesan cheese to rice and mix well. Stir rice mixture into Prosciutto mixture until ingredients are evenly distributed.
  • 4
    Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Whisk egg whites and olive oil in separate shallow bowl. Wet hands and shape rice/Prosciutto mixture into 24 balls. Dip each ball into egg whites then coat with bread crumbs.
  • 5
    Heat 2-inches of oil in a deep-fryer to 350*F. Deep-fry rice balls a few at a time until golden brown (approximately 30 seconds) Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
  • 6
    REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS: From refrigerator, place meatballs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cook for 15 minutes in a 350*F preheated oven. If frozen, cook for 30 minutes.

Categories & Tags for Aranigi (Italian Meat Balls):

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