baked pumpkin rice balls
If you’re looking for a crispy and DELICIOUS way to add more veg then you have stumbled across the right recipe for you! These are so easy to make and make for the perfect lunch box edition too! The hardest part is remembering to make the risotto the day before, other than that it is SUPER easy! Hope you love this recipe 🤗
recipe (makes 14)
ingredients
2 cups butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1x1x1 inch cubes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
¼ brown onion
1 cup arborio rice
1L vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 handfuls spinach
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Salt
method
1. Lay your pumpkin out on a large non-stick tray with high sides. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and a tbsp of Italian seasoning. Mix well and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
2. While the pumpkin is cooking, you can get started on the risotto. Add a tbsp of olive oil and your chopped onion to a large non-stick pan with high sides over medium-high heat. When the onion is translucent, add in your rice. Allow the rice to cook alongside the onion for a couple of minutes to soak up all the flavour.
3. Add in a cup of your stock and stir. Once the stock is absorbed add in another cup. Repeat, slowly add in the stock until the rice has completely cooked through.
4. When the rice is cooked, stir through the cooked pumpkin, the peas and spinach. Taste for seasoning and then generously grate some parmesan on the top (a few tbsp), turn the heat off and pop a lid on it. Allow to sit for three to five minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
5. The next day, pour the risotto into a large bowl and add in the egg, the regular breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup grated parmesan. Use your hands to mix until combined.
6. Pour the panko breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl and season with salt.
7. Roll the risotto mixture into balls (about 1/3 cup of mixture for each ball) and coat in the panko mixture. Place each ball on a non-stick tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
tip
Tip 1 - You can make this with ANY leftover risotto you’ve made! Think mushroom risotto, chicken risotto or even zucchini risotto.
Tip 2 - If you make a heap, like me, you can actually freeze them! Simply roll the balls and instead of putting them on a try, put them in a container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then. bake them until crispy. You can pop them in the oven from frozen but they will take a bit longer to cook and go crispy.
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