Cauliflower Rice (Arancini) Balls
I love Italian rice balls, which are traditionally filled with rice, sausage and cheese, rolled into balls, breaded and fried. My lighter versions swaps the rice for cauliflower rice and rather than frying, I made them in my air fryer or oven!
I’ve had this concept in my head for a few months and wasn’t sure if it would work! How would I get the cauliflower to hold together to form a ball? I played around in my kitchen using frozen riced cauliflower, adding Italian sausage and marinara to add flavor to the cauliflower and shredded mozzarella to hold it all together like glue. It worked like a charm! I tested them out in my air fryer and oven, both came out great, although I think the air fryer ones were a little more golden and certainly a lot quicker. Serve them with marinara for a delicious way to enjoy cauliflower rice a whole new way!
How To Make Cauliflower Rice Balls (Arancini)
Cauliflower Rice Ball Tips and Variations:
The trick is to add the mozzarella cheese while the cauliflower is still hot so it all melts together. Then let it cool a few minutes before rolling them up into balls. For perfect balls, take 1/4 cup measuring cup, spray it with cooking spray and fill it. Level it, then use a small spoon to scoop it out into your palm, then roll. If you have problems with it sticking to your hands (I did not) you can add a little oil to your hands. To make them meatless, swap out the sausage for 1/3 cup peas and add more salt or Parmesan cheese for flavor. To make them gluten-free, swap the breadcrumbs for gluten-free crumbs.
More Arancini recipes:
Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole Baked Mini Sausage and Spinach Arancini
More Cauliflower Rice Recipes
Mexican Cauliflower “Rice” Cauliflower Fried “Rice Cilantro Lime Cauliflower “Rice” Cauliflower Rice Biryani Cauliflower Rice Arancini
