If you’re anything like me, you’re probably spending a lot more time in your kitchen these days! I’ve been cooking so many new dishes during quarantine and I hope to write a blog post about all of them eventually. Today, I made a snack that was so fun and delicious I had to share it immediately: cauliflower rice arancini. I was inspired by Skinny Taste but since I don’t have an air fryer I baked these in the oven. Arancini are an Italian dish, traditionally made with rice, meat and cheese, coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried. This lighter take on the Italian classic uses cauliflower rice and then bakes the rice balls, rather than frying.

Not only do these taste great, they are also super fun to make! My mom and I had a blast rolling the rice mixture into balls and then dipping them in breadcrumbs to bake. Although it looks difficult, these come together in just 35 minutes and are a great appetizer or midday snack. Buon Appetito!

Timing:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: makes 8-10 arancini

• 1 Italian sausage link with the casing removed (I used pork but you can use chicken as well)
• 2 1/4 cups cauliflower rice (I used a full frozen bag from the grocery store but you can make your own by placing cauliflower in the food processor)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• Olive oil spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425F. In a medium skillet on medium heat, sauté the sausage until brown, breaking into small pieces. Add in the cauliflower rice, marinara sauce and salt, stir until fully mixed. Remove the skillet from heat and add in the mozzarella cheese, mix well.

Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes. Mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan or Pecorino Romano into a small dish. In a separate small dish, beat the egg.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture and form into a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add in some bread crumbs and mix together. Dip the ball in the egg and then roll it in the bread crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Repeat until the mixture has been used up. Depending on the size of the arancini, you should have 8-10 balls.

Once the balls have been formed, spray with cooking spray or olive oil spray. Bake for 25 minutes at 425F. Let cool for 2-3 minutes once you pull them out of the oven and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.