The mini arancini with spinach and cheese are very tasty and flavorful snacks perfect to serve as an appetizer.
This very rich and delicious vegetarian variant is prepared with rice cooked together with spinach, an egg mixture, and a tasty gooey filling of spinach and cheese.
They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, perfect for every occasion as a second course, or as finger food in a buffet, they are so liked that one leads to another, and they are also very popular among the little ones, an idea to encourage and make them eat vegetables!
The recipe for mini arancini is very simple and can also be made with leftover rice and spinach.
Let’s see how they are prepared.
SEE ALSO THE CONE-SHAPED ARANCINI WITH RAGU’
TRY THESE RECIPES AS WELL
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 30 pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Mini Arancini with Spinach and Cheese
- 8.8 oz fresh spinach (cleaned)
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 17 oz water
- 7 oz arancini rice
- to taste salt
- 1 pat of butter
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 5 tbsps grated grana cheese
- 3.5 oz provola cheese
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste peanut oil (for frying)
Tools
- Pan
- Small pot
- Stove
Preparation for Mini Arancini with Spinach and Cheese
Wash the spinach leaves well and cook for a few minutes until they wilt. Add a clove of garlic and a drizzle of oil, and sauté the spinach for a few minutes to flavor them.
Remove the garlic, add the rice, mix well, and toast well.Gradually add hot water or broth, salt, and cook for about 12 minutes.
At the end of cooking, the rice should be soft but dry, add a pat of butter, grated grana cheese, the eggs, and provola cheese cut into pieces.
Mix and combine all the ingredients well.
If needed, add a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
Take pieces of rice with your hands, wet under the water, round them giving a round shape of small balls, pass them in dry breadcrumbs, and place them on a plate.Pour some peanut oil into a small pot, once it reaches temperature, not too high, immerse a few mini arancini at a time, fry and turn them from all sides until they are golden brown.
Drain on absorbent paper, then plate and serve hot, but they are also good cold if there are leftovers.
Tips and Variations
You can stuff the arancini with other cheese and also add pieces of cooked ham.
If there are leftover mini arancini, they can be stored in the fridge for a few days, and you can then heat them in the oven or microwave.
They are also great to freeze raw and fry when needed.
