ITALIAN FRIED CHEESE BALLS

Italian Fried Cheese Balls image

The cheese balls are actually a mixture of pecan meal, bread crumbs, cheese, and eggs. After frying, they are smothered in a tomato sauce, and baked to perfection. Uncooked cheese balls can be frozen for later use.

Provided by Debbie Russell

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 cup tomato juice
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Steps:

In a large bowl, mix together pecans, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, and onion. Shape into golf ball size balls.
Heat oil in an electric deep fryer or heavy saucepan to 365 degrees F ( 170 degrees C). Add cheese balls to hot oil, and fry until brown. Fry in batches to maintain oil temperature. Transfer to an 8 inch square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together tomato juice, tomato soup, and cumin. Cover cheese balls with sauce. Sprinkle additional cheese on top, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 483.3 calories, Carbohydrate 26.5 g, Cholesterol 180.3 mg, Fat 35.6 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 17.6 g, SaturatedFat 9.6 g, Sodium 650.9 mg, Sugar 8.1 g