The rice and pea balls are tasty, melty bites, ideal to serve as a main course or to whet the appetite.
These balls can also be made with already cooked rice: when I have to prepare a rice salad I often cook a little too much and don’t use it, so every time I make balls from it.
I seasoned the rice with peas cooked in a pan with a chopped mixture of onion, parsley and carrot; then I combined everything with one egg, breadcrumbs and grated pecorino. To make them melty I added a little mozzarella cut into cubes and baked the balls in the oven; alternatively you can fry them or cook them in the hot air fryer.
These rice and pea balls are tasty, delicately flavored and irresistible!
See the collection:
Vegetable balls: 10 vegetarian recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2Servings
- Cooking methods: Stove
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Rice
- 1/2 cup Peas
- 1 Carrot (small)
- to taste Onion
- small bunch Parsley
- to taste Oregano
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbsp Grated pecorino cheese
- 1 oz Mozzarella
- to taste Breadcrumbs
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Salt
Preparation
To make the rice and pea balls, cook the rice in plenty of salted water; follow the cooking time indicated on the package. Once cooked, drain and transfer it to a bowl.
Chop the onion, carrot and parsley finely. Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a pan, add the chopped mixture and put over the heat. Cook over low heat for a couple of minutes.
Then add the peas and cover with hot water; cook for another 10 minutes, or until tender and until the water has evaporated. Season with salt at the end of cooking.
Add the peas (with the chopped mixture) to the rice, sprinkle with grated pecorino and oregano, add the egg and the mozzarella cut into cubes. Begin mixing to combine the ingredients; add breadcrumbs until you obtain a compact and homogeneous mixture that can be shaped with your hands.
With wet hands, take a little mixture and form the balls, about the size of a walnut. Then roll them in breadcrumbs and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Drizzle the balls with a little oil and bake in a preheated oven at 392°F until golden, about 15/20 minutes. Or fry them in plenty of hot oil. Or, if you have a hot air fryer, cook them at 392°F for 15 minutes.
For other recipes cooked in the hot air fryer see the special Hot air fryer (airfryer) – Recipes and tips for use.
If you own a hot air fryer, or would like to learn more about it, join the Facebook group! I’ll be waiting for you!
If you make one of my recipes, share the photo using the hashtag #ricettedilibellula.
Follow me also on Facebook to discover new recipes. And to watch video recipes subscribe to the YouTube channel!
To receive new recipes by email for free every week, subscribe to the Newsletter.
