Appetizers
Italian Rice Bites
Makes 8 rice balls
Italian Rice Bites
Makes 8 rice balls
For the perfect appetizer, serve these rice balls with marinara sauce.
Nutritional information per rice ball: Calories 269 (41% from fat)
carb. 17g
pro. 15g
fat 10g
sat. fat 2g chol. 90mg
sod. 500mg
calc. 106mg
fiber 1g
carb. 17g
pro. 15g
fat 10g
sat. fat 2g chol. 90mg
sod. 500mg
calc. 106mg
fiber 1g
Ingredients
- 1 cup medium-grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, beaten well
- ¼ cup ricotta
- 3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce mozzarella, cut into eight small pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ¼ cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- Olive oil for spraying or brushing
- 1 cup Quick Marinara Sauce (page 28) or any prepared version for dipping
Preparation
- Put the rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once rice comes to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender (follow package instructions for timing).Allow to cool fully.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, Pecorino, parsley, and pepper. While mixing and fluffing the rice with a spoon, mix in the egg and cheese mixture. Spread the rice onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the rice has chilled, use slightly wet hands to shape 3 tablespoons of rice into a ball. Repeat with remaining rice. Stuff each ball with one piece of the mozzarella and re-form if necessary.
- Place the AirFry Basket onto the Oven/AirFry Pan and coat with nonstick spray.
- Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Gently toss each rice ball in the breadcrumbs and transfer to the prepared basket. Spray or brush liberally and evenly with the olive oil.
- Place the pan in the Cuisinart® 3-in-1 Microwave AirFryer Plus in the upper rack position. Select Oven/AirFry, set the temperature at 350ºF and time for 15 minutes. Press Start. Cook the rice balls until evenly golden.
- Serve immediately, with the marinara sauce on the side.
