Cornmeal (or Polenta) always comes in a big bag and you don’t need that much for most recipes. So I often have some left-over cornmeal in my cabinet. These cornmeal mozzarella balls are a great snack to make from your left-over polenta. They make a great vegetarian snack, that goes perfect with some pesto on a grazing board. On this page you can find the recipe of these vegetarian Cornmeal Mozzarella Balls and you can also watch the video I made on how to make them.
Like cornmeal? You might also like my recipe for Polenta Fries.
These cornmeal mozzarella balls are suitable for vegetarians and they’re also gluten-free.
As you can see, I used mozzarella for these vegetarian balls. But you can also use any other cheese. As long as it’s grated so it mixes in easily, it’s all fine. It also tastes great with grated Cheddar cheese for example.
I mostly serve my cornmeal mozzarella balls with green pesto, as I think it’s a great combination but you can also serve them with a chili sauce or with mustard.
You can prepare the mozzarella balls in oil or a deep fryer, but you can also prepare them in an Airfryer. If you deep fry them it’ll take about 3-4 minutes and if you put them in an Airfryer it’ll take 6-8 minutes. The latter is more healthy though as you won’t be using any oil.
Recipe Cornmeal Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients (for 4 people):
180 grams cornmeal (polenta)
80 grams butter or margarine, room temperature
100 grams grated mozzarella
600 ml water
Oil for deep frying or an Airfryer
Pesto for serving
Preheat your oven to 180 C. Bring the water to a boil in a pan. Add the cornmeal while whisking. Take the pan of the fire, cover with the lid and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Stir in the cheese and butter and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll balls from the dough with your hands. Place them on a cutting board lined with parchment paper. Put the board in the fridge for 30 minutes (or longer).
Pre-heat your deep fryer or Airfryer. Fry the cornmeal balls until golden brown (see above for the times).
