Weeknight dinners so often feel like one long game of “What will everyone actually eat?” Sigh. If that’s you, this veggie and cheese arancini recipe from George Georgievski might be about to earn a regular spot in the rotation.
George, better known as School Lunchbox Dad, has built a huge following by making family meals feel achievable and a lot less stressful. His recipes are designed for actual households, not fantasy Insta ones. Which means he understands the very specific chaos of feeding kids after school, juggling extracurricular activities with paid work, answering 37 questions at once and somehow still needing to get dinner on the table every single bloody night. Yeah, that chaos.
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These veggie and cheese arancini fit the chaos-busting brief beautifully. They’re crisp on the outside, cheesy in the middle and packed with vegetables in a stealth way that won’t have your 11-year-old picking out the green bits in excruciatingly slow motion. They’re also suitably filling. No one wants to serve dinner at 6.30pm only to hear “I’m hungry” again at 6.53pm.
The other big win is that they’re designed to stretch beyond one meal. Serve them warm for dinner with salad or roast vegetables, then tuck leftovers into the kids’ lunchboxes the next day. If ‘leftovers’ is a foreign concept at your place, I highly recommend doubling George’s recipe so you still have plenty to pack.
That dinner-tonight, lunch-tomorrow thinking is at the heart of George’s book, Tonight’s Dinner, Tomorrow’s Lunchbox. This is smart family cooking that saves us time, reduces waste and makes the lunchbox toil so much more pleasant.
Anything that sorts dinner and gets a head start on tomorrow’s lunches deserves our full attention.
Veggie and cheese arancini balls
Recipe from Tonight’s Dinner, Tomorrow’s Lunchbox by George Georgievski
Makes 12
Takes about 30 mins
1 cup (approx. 100 g) finely chopped mixed cooked veggies (peas, corn, capsicum/pepper, zucchini/ courgette, eggplant/aubergine, mushrooms or whatever you have)
½ cup (45 g) grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup (115 g) cubed mozzarella (about 1½ cm)
1 cup (60 g) panko breadcrumbs
½ cup (75 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Risotto
1 ½ cups (330 g) arborio rice
1 tablespoon salted butter
2 cups (500 ml) vegetable stock
This recipe is one you make the day before you go grocery shopping – it’s the perfect way to use up whatever veggies you have left so nothing gets thrown away. The veggies I’ve listed here are just a guide – use whatever you have, and don’t be afraid to experiment to create your own twist. And if you’re worried you won’t have enough for tomorrow, just do a bit extra of everything – easy! Unless you’ve got left-over risotto on hand (if so, bonus!), you’ll need to cook your rice ahead – ideally, the night before. It’ll be worth it, I promise. I’ve included my cheat’s way of cooking the risotto below.
If you have left-over risotto, bonus – you can skip this next bit. Otherwise, here is my cheat’s way of cooking risotto for arancini balls. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the arborio rice, butter and vegetable stock. Microwave on high for 9 minutes, uncovered. Stir it really well, then microwave on medium for another 9 minutes. Let it cool down before using – ideally in the fridge overnight.
Right, now you’re ready to make the arancini balls. In a bowl, combine the cooked rice, veggies, parmesan and a quarter of the beaten egg. Give it a good mix so it’s nice and sticky.
Now, pop 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and flatten it out. Pop a cube of mozzarella in the centre, then roll the mixture to create a perfect ball.
Dip each ball into the remaining egg, and then into the panko breadcrumbs (I like the extra crunch you get from panko). Half-fill a saucepan with vegetable oil and heat the oil to 170˚C. If you have a thermometer, now’s the time to use it, or dip the end of a wooden spoon into the oil – when bubbles start to form around it, you’re ready to roll. Fry the arancini, a few at a time, until crispy and golden. Always take extra care when deep-frying. I like to use a larger saucepan or frying pan to make sure the oil doesn’t splatter. And don’t take your eyes off the oil while cooking.
You can dress these in any sauce you have on hand, such as napoli, or even leftover bolognese. Otherwise, you can eat them as they are.
Notes
You can keep these veggie and cheese arancini balls for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Images and text from Tonight’s Dinner, Tomorrow’s Lunchbox by George Georgievski, photography by Rochelle Eagle. Murdoch Books RRP $29.99
