Sharing my favourite family friendly meals has been a lot of fun. But there’s one meal of the day that I tend to ignore and it’s… lunch. I just always feel so uninspired. And poor baby Alex… he’s always getting the same thing.
So it’s definitely time to expand the repertoire.
Easy to prep, easy to pack and a hit with the kids. I promise that these broccoli, rice and cheese balls hit all those requirements for a great lunchbox meal and… it’s with rice! I know, sending rice along with your kids for their school lunch may not be your first thought but for kids who are tired of sandwiches and wraps it’s a pretty great alternative. Plus, if you’ve got any gluten allergies – just omit the breadcrumb topping in this recipe and you’re set.
I tend to focus on pasta and bread for lunch which is too bad. I like rice, but it’s just… so… messy when the kids are eating it. But this recipe is not, and it’s a snap to prepare. I made the rice and broccoli the day before (I used Minute Rice to make it even easier and it was perfect) and brought it all together the next day.
Really you just combine four ingredients (rice, broccoli, cheese and eggs) sprinkle another on top (Italian breadcrumbs) and your set to go. These were inspired by the famous Italian rice balls called arincini but are much much easier to make and they stay together much better.
My son loved the balls and ate about three.
You can see that they are fairly solid. Just pop a few in a lunchbox and you have your rice, veg and a little protein. I’m sure that if you stuck some chicken in there it would be great too. It really was easy and good and I now have another great recipe to add to my repertoire. I liked them at room temperature or heated a little.
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 cups cooked Minute rice (1 cup uncooked Minute Rice plus 1 cup water)
- 1 cup cooked broccoli in small pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup packed shredded cheese
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with canola oil
- In a large bowl combine the rice, broccoli, eggs and ⅔ of the cheese (set aside the rest of the cheese to sprinkle on top)
- Divide mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly on top
- Sprinkle the Italian breadcrumbs evenly on top (leave out if you want this gluten free)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese has melted
- Let rest until cool and each rice ball should come out easily
This post was sponsored by Minute Rice. We thank-you for supporting the brands that make Roasted happen!
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Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
