Originally published May 26, 2025
Aussie Chicken Parmigiana Rissoles in Cheesy Garlic Cob Loaf
Aussie Chicken Parmigiana Rissoles in Cheesy Garlic Cob Loaf
One bread bowl. Two rounds of cheese. A whole lotta Aussie comfort.
Story
From Berthoud to Brisbane (Kind Of)
I had just gotten back from a visit with my sister and brother-in-law in Berthoud, Colorado, where we checked out a quirky little Australian restaurant called Aussie’s Poke Pitstop. Now, funny enough—none of us are big fans of poke. But here’s the twist: they also served traditional Aussie meat pies, and those we had to try. Let’s just say they ranged from delicious to hmm… interesting. But we were glad we gave them a shot!
That experience got me wondering—sure, Australians speak English, but what foods have they created or adopted that I know nothing about?
Down the Aussie Food Rabbit Hole I Went...
Wow. Just wow. Australia has some truly unique foods. Some are familiar—turns out Aussies LOVE Chicken Parmigiana. Some are famous for being... well, very Aussie (looking at you, Vegemite). And some have just wonderfully odd names for otherwise normal ingredients.
Case in point? This recipe.
If you’re Australian or British and want to weigh in, please do! But from what I could gather, a "cob" is essentially what I’d call a bread bowl—the inside scooped out to make room for a dip (or something else equally delicious). Which begs the question: is a cob bread… or is it a dip? Or some glorious hybrid of both? I don’t have an answer. But I do have a recipe.
And What’s a Rissole Anyway?
So here’s where it gets fun. I had to mix together rissoles. They looked like meatballs. They are basically meatballs, but made with ground chicken, then rolled in Panko breadcrumbs, then flattened just a bit. What showed up on my plate looked a lot like meatballs—but they were a bit flatter, breaded, and pan-fried (or baked, in my case). Think: a love child between a meatball and a burger patty, with that crunchy Panko coating. The result? Juicy, golden, and incredibly satisfying.
The Final Dish? All the Parmy Vibes You Crave.
- A hollowed-out garlic-buttered cob loaf.
- Stuffed with spaghetti tossed in tomato ragu.
- Topped with golden chicken rissoles.
- Smothered with sauce and cheese, then baked again.
The result? A bubbling, cheesy, garlicky, crunchy-coated comfort bomb, very much reminiscent of a chicken parmigiana setup. Does it technically still qualify as a “cob”? Probably not—there’s zero dipping involved. But I’m not mad about it.
And most importantly? It’s mom-approved.
Bon appétit! And good on ya, mates.
Text-Only Recipe (Fallback)
Aussie Chicken Parmigiana Rissoles in Cheesy Garlic Cob Loaf — Recipe (Text)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 lb dried spaghetti
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4 (about 4-inch) cob rolls
- 14 oz jar pasta sauce, warmed
- 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated three-cheese mix
- Fresh basil leaves, to serve
- 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
Instructions
- Make rissoles: Line 2 trays with baking paper. Soak bread in milk 5 min; squeeze out excess and discard milk. In a bowl, mix soaked bread, chicken, parmesan, shallot, garlic, parsley and 1 egg until combined. Roll into ~30 balls; chill 30 min.
- Place flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates; whisk remaining 3 eggs in a bowl. Coat each ball in flour, dip in egg, then breadcrumbs. Flatten slightly on tray; chill 30 min.
- Heat 1/4-inch oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry rissoles in batches 2–3 min per side until golden; drain.
- Cook pasta: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Boil spaghetti to al dente; drain and keep warm.
- Prep cobs: Line a tray. Mix butter, garlic, parsley. Cut top third off each cob; hollow, leaving 3/4-inch shell. Cut 4 slits halfway down around edge. Arrange cobs on tray; tear removed bread into croutons around them. Brush garlic butter inside/over cobs and croutons. Sprinkle 2 cups cheese inside cobs, pressing some into slits. Bake ~2 min to start melting.
- Reserve 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Toss remaining sauce with spaghetti; fill cobs with sauced pasta.
- Place rissoles on a second lined tray. Spoon reserved sauce over rissoles; top with remaining cheese. Bake both trays 8–10 min until cheese melts.
- Top cobs with rissoles; garnish with basil. Serve extra rissoles and garlic croutons on the side.
This Is Delicious! What Is It?
Aussie Chicken Parmigiana Rissoles in Cheesy Garlic Cob Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/3 pound dried spaghetti
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 4 4-inch cob rolls
- 14 ounces jar pasta sauce, warmed
- 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated three cheese mix
- Fresh basil leaves, to serve
- 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, to shallow fry
Instructions
- To make the rissoles, line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Combine bread and milk in a bowl. Soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze bread to release excess milk. Discard milk and place bread in abowl. Add ground chicken, parmesan, shallot, garlic parsley and 1 egg to the bowl. Mix until well combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into 30 balls and place on 1 lined tray. Place in thefridge for 30 minutes or until fi rm.
- Place the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Whisk remaining eggs in a bowl. Lightly coat a ball in flour, then dip in the egg and then coat in breadcrumbs. Place on remaining lined tray and flatten slightly. Repeat with the remaining balls. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Add enough oil to a large frying pan to come 1/4-inch up the side of the pan. Heat over medium heat. Cook the rissoles, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side or until they are golden. Drain.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return to saucepan, cover and keep warm.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine butter, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Cut the top third off the cobs. Scoop out bread inside, leaving a 3/4-inch-thick shell. Cut 4 slits halfway down around the edge of the cob. Place cobs on prepared tray. Tear removed inside bread into large croutons. Place around cob on tray. Brush garlic butter inside and on top of the cobs and over the torn bread. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese inside the cobs, pressing some into slits on the side. Bake for 2 minutes or until cheese starts to melt.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce. Add the remaining pasta sauce to the cooked pasta. Spoon the pasta into the cobs.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place rissoles on tray. Spoon reserved pasta sauce over rissoles. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake the trays at the same time for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Top cobs with rissoles and sprinkle with basil, if desired. Serve extra rissoles and garlic croutons on the side.
Recipe and photograph by Robert Meyers-Lussier