Roman Rice Croquettes (Supplì al Telefono)
Rice cooked right in a rich tomato and beef ragù, cooled, then wrapped around a core of mozzarella and fried until deep golden. Break one open and the cheese stretches like telephone wires — the detail that gives this Roman classic its name.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Build the ragù
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and cook the onion over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until fully browned with no pink left. Stir in the tomato , season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavour.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 200 g ground beef
- 400 g tomato
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: the sauce has thickened slightly and smells rich, not watery
Cook the rice into the sauce
Stir the raw rice straight into the ragù — there is no pre-cooking. Add about a third of the stock and stir often, like a risotto, letting the liquid absorb before adding more. Keep going for 18–20 minutes, adding stock gradually, until the rice is fully tender and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when cooled.
- 300 g risotto rice
- 500 ml stock
✅ Done when: the rice is tender and the mixture looks dense, almost dry, not soupy
Cool and bind
Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and one beaten egg until evenly mixed. Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until completely cold and firm. This chilling step matters: warm rice is too soft to shape and will fall apart around the cheese.
- 60 g Parmesan
- 1 egg, beaten
✅ Done when: the mixture is fully cold and firm enough to hold a shape when pressed
Shape and stuff
Scoop about 3–4 tablespoons of the cold rice mixture into your palm and flatten it slightly. Place a cube of mozzarella in the centre and fold the rice around it, pressing firmly to seal with no gaps or the cheese will leak out while frying. Roll between your palms into a torpedo or egg shape about 7 cm long. Repeat to make 12 supplì.
- 200 g mozzarella, 12 cubes
✅ Done when: each croquette is fully sealed around the cheese, with a smooth, even surface
Bread for crunch
Set up three shallow bowls: flour, the second egg beaten, and breadcrumbs. Roll each supplì first in flour and tap off the excess, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the coating sticks all over. For an extra crisp shell, repeat the egg and breadcrumb layers a second time.
- 100 g flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 150 g breadcrumbs
✅ Done when: each croquette is evenly and completely coated, with no bare patches
Fry until golden
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 170°C (340°F) — if you don't have a thermometer, a pinch of breadcrumbs dropped in should sizzle and float straight away. Fry the supplì in small batches of 3–4 so they don't crowd, turning occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. Drain on paper towels and let rest 2 minutes before serving, since the mozzarella centre will be molten hot.
- 1 litre frying oil
- a few basil leaves, to serve
✅ Done when: deep golden brown all over and the crust feels crisp when tapped
Build the ragù
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and cook the onion over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until fully browned with no pink left. Stir in the tomato , season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavour.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 200 g ground beef
- 400 g tomato
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: the sauce has thickened slightly and smells rich, not watery
Cook the rice into the sauce
Stir the raw rice straight into the ragù — there is no pre-cooking. Add about a third of the stock and stir often, like a risotto, letting the liquid absorb before adding more. Keep going for 18–20 minutes, adding stock gradually, until the rice is fully tender and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when cooled.
- 300 g risotto rice
- 500 ml stock
✅ Done when: the rice is tender and the mixture looks dense, almost dry, not soupy
Cool and bind
Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and one beaten egg until evenly mixed. Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until completely cold and firm. This chilling step matters: warm rice is too soft to shape and will fall apart around the cheese.
- 60 g Parmesan
- 1 egg, beaten
✅ Done when: the mixture is fully cold and firm enough to hold a shape when pressed
Shape and stuff
Scoop about 3–4 tablespoons of the cold rice mixture into your palm and flatten it slightly. Place a cube of mozzarella in the centre and fold the rice around it, pressing firmly to seal with no gaps or the cheese will leak out while frying. Roll between your palms into a torpedo or egg shape about 7 cm long. Repeat to make 12 supplì.
- 200 g mozzarella, 12 cubes
✅ Done when: each croquette is fully sealed around the cheese, with a smooth, even surface
Bread for crunch
Set up three shallow bowls: flour, the second egg beaten, and breadcrumbs. Roll each supplì first in flour and tap off the excess, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the coating sticks all over. For an extra crisp shell, repeat the egg and breadcrumb layers a second time.
- 100 g flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 150 g breadcrumbs
✅ Done when: each croquette is evenly and completely coated, with no bare patches
Fry until golden
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 170°C (340°F) — if you don't have a thermometer, a pinch of breadcrumbs dropped in should sizzle and float straight away. Fry the supplì in small batches of 3–4 so they don't crowd, turning occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. Drain on paper towels and let rest 2 minutes before serving, since the mozzarella centre will be molten hot.
- 1 litre frying oil
- a few basil leaves, to serve
✅ Done when: deep golden brown all over and the crust feels crisp when tapped
The Story Behind the Dish
Supplì began in Rome as a clever way to use up leftover rice cooked in tomato sauce, shaped around a bit of cheese and fried to make it last and travel well. They became a fixture of the city's friggitorie, the small fried-food shops where Romans grab a cheap, hot snack standing at the counter.
The nickname "al telefono" is more recent, inspired by the way the molten mozzarella stretches into long strands when the croquette is broken in half, resembling old-fashioned telephone wires.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Crisp and golden outside, soft tomato rice inside, with a stretchy, molten mozzarella heart — supplì is one of the most loved and recognisable street foods of Rome.
💡 Fun Fact
Supplì are a staple of Roman pizzerias and friggitorie, almost always ordered as a starter while waiting for a pizza to arrive.
Rome, Lazio
41.90°N, 12.50°E
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