Ham and Pepperoni Rice Balls
With Christmas, New Year’s and all of the other great holidays coming up, you may want to try serving something fun and new. Besides, what is a great New Year’s Eve party without fantastic appetizers? It’s just not – that’s what I say! I came up with these Ham and Pepperoni Rice Balls, which are loads of fun, and they are loved by kids and adults!
I decided to experiment in the kitchen to try and come up with something creative, using Hinode Microwaveable Rice. The thing about microwaveable rice is that you don’t have to wait 15-20 minutes for the rice to cook! You also don’t have to worry about the rice over cooking or under cooking. It’s fantastic for using in a recipe because it cuts that long step out. When I began this recipe for Rice Balls, I was hoping that they would be super easy. They pretty much are, but there is one step that got a bit messy and complicated. You can do it though, and the results will be well worth it!
- 2 trays of cooked Hinode Heat & Serve White Rice (approx. 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup diced ham or pepperoni minis (I double the recipe and make a batch of both)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- Oil, for frying
- Preheat oil in a medium pot. Use enough oil so that rice balls can be fully submerged; about 3-4 inches.
- In a medium bowl, combine the rice, parmesan, mozzarella and 1 egg. Works best if rice is cooled. Use your hands to mix.
- Add diced ham or pepperoni, and fully incorporate it into the mixture, using your hands.
- Form each rice ball by taking about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into your hands. You can use a cookie scoop if you’d like. Squeeze and press mixture firmly in your hands, creating a ball. You want the ball to be well formed so it won’t fall apart in the next steps.
- In one small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 eggs. Place breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
- Dip each rice ball in the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
- When oil is nice and hot, about 375º, add 2 or 3 of the breaded rice balls to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout. This takes about 5 minutes, but you will want to be sure the egg is cooked.
- Remove fried rice balls from the hot oil, using a slotted spoon. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Repeat steps until rice mixture is gone.
- Serve with marinara sauce
I received a promotional item to help facilitate my recipe.
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Theresa @ Faith and Family Reviews says
Oh these look yummy and make me hungry even though I just ate lunch!
Tess says
Those look so good!!
Miriam T. says
Those look totally delicious and I think they would help justify my desire to get a deep fryer (so unhealthy, I know but LOOK at what tasty food it could help make!) These definitely look like something I’d throw down $10 for as an appetizer.
Dawn Lopez says
Wow, what a fantastic idea! My family would LOVE LOVE these! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and all the step by step pics! Very helpful because I am a very visual person!
Amanda F says
They look really delicious 🙂
Melissa says
These look really good! =)
Thanks for sharing!
Michael Bradley says
Yum! Sounds good!
Hali says
This looks great. I do things like this allot..yum!! 🙂
MYRNA G. says
these look yummy
Jeanette Mays says
This sounds so good, and we have a lot of company coming next week so I will have to try this out. Thank you for the recipe.
Marjorie says
Looks soooooo good and easy!
Lynne says
I made these , they so good
Tammy S says
These look amazing! It is a recipe that both my kids would love. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks!