Italian Fried Cheese Balls

These are really, really good. A wonderful combination of cheese, pecans and bread crumbs. Egg is added to bind all the ingredients and then it 's shaped into balls and deep fried ... smothered in a tomato/cumin sauce and baked. Wow!

• Calories: 483 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes.

Step 2

In a large bowl, mix together pecans, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, and onion. Shape into golf ball size balls.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

In a medium bowl, mix together tomato juice, tomato soup, and cumin. Cover cheese balls with sauce. Sprinkle additional cheese on top, if desired.