Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
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Baked mozzarella sticks are easy to make, loved by both adults and kiddos, and not entirely bad for you. At only 43 calories per bite, you can enjoy these cheesy sticks guilt-free and go for seconds… and thirds, and fourths!
In this excellent recipe inspired by Skinnytaste, frozen string cheese sticks are coated in flour, egg and a mixture of Italian breadcrumbs and panko. Pop ‘em in the freezer so that the crumbs really stick and cheese keeps it shape… this is a must if you don’t want a runny mess all over your oven!
Serve up these hot, delicious mozzarella sticks with a cup of marinara sauce or Ranch dressing for dunking. They’re perfect for parties, Superbowl fans, and just for indulging any day of the week!
Print RecipeSkinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Yield: Makes 24 pieces, 12 servings (2 sticks each)
Ingredients:
12 sticks part-skim mozzarella string cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Nonstick cooking spray
Marinara sauce and/or Ranch dressing, for serving
Directions:
Remove wrappers and cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Freeze cheese until hard and frozen, about 30 minutes.
In three separate shallow dishes, place egg, flour and breadcrumbs, each in their own dish. Whisk egg. To breadcrumbs dish, add panko, parmesan and parsley.
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Dip frozen cheese sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs. Repeat for each cheese stick, placing them on the lined baking sheet. Freeze on sheet at least 15 minutes, or until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange oven rack in the bottom third of your oven.
Bake 4 to 5 minutes, turn sticks over, and bake an additional 4-5 minutes, watching sticks closely so they don't melt. Serve hot with marinara sauce or Ranch dressing for dipping.
Enjoy!
Adapted from SkinnyTaste
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Mozzarella sticks are my absolute favorite! I haven’t had them in ages – will definitely have to make soon!
i’ve been wanting to make these for a while!
OH MY…these sound amazing, I am a sucker for mozzarella cheese sticks. They are one thing I CRAVED when I was pregnant!
OK, now this is certainly a recipe I can get behind! There night be nothing better than a hunk of cheese breaded and baked and dipped in marinara :) It’s awesome, too, because you can make them ahead, so you could prepare a few batches for your super bowl party the day before, then bake them up as they’re requested! Nice!
Oh my gosh. I LOVE mozzarella sticks. I buy them pretty often which I know is terrible, but they’re so good! These look so much better. Definitely want to try them out. :)
mozzarella sticks are so good!! this sounds like an excellent skinny version. yum!
Love these! Mozzarella sticks are my favorite. I make a similar one with cheese curds,which are so Wisconsin!
I love mozzerella sticks. Having these baked are that much better than fried and using the Skinnytaste sticks means a few more can be eaten without guilt. That’s right isn’t it :)
How delish, love how skinny these are!
I was excited to see this recipe. Having two kids who tell me they want to eat this and that..and they picked mozzarella cheese sticks from Trader Joes the other day. After several days, they are done with their cravings and I’m the one who end up with these cheese. I have only a few left but now I have one recipe to count on. I used the leftover putting in wonton and fried. I think this is tastier with dipping sauce!
I loooove mozzarella sticks. I got some with my takeout pizza last weekend, and they were so greasy and disappointing. These look way better – I love that they’re baked!
Mozzarella sticks were always my go-to appetizer when I was younger but I haven’t had them in forever! Love this lightened up take – they look amazing!
I think I could eat about 30 of these, easily!
i love mozzarella sticks…probably too much…at least i can eat a whole pan full in the privacy of my own home. lol
Yum! I hate frying things mostly because of the mess and oil smell around the house, so I’m always excited to see baked versions of my favorite foods. These look great.
I am sooo trying this as soon as I can. What an awesome idea!
I have never made these at home, but mozz sticks are a favorite “guilty pleasure” when it comes to appetizers on restaurant menus. Your recipe is no doubt much better and prettier than any one can buy…so I shall try this out and enjoy next time we have friends over.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had mozzarella sticks, but I was super tempted the other day….
Yours look better, so I’m glad I resisted!
I love this idea! They look so crispy and tasty!
What a great idea! I adore mozzarella sticks but haven’t had one in ages. These are totally guilt-free and a great idea for the Super Bowl!!
i need to make these… like, yesterday. Georgia they are SO amazing looking! And sounding. I freaking love mozzarella sticks but have never made them myself before. And knowing that they are slightly healthier than what I would get at a restaurant makes me want to dash to the store right now to get all the ingredients!! :)
Look at that cheesy goodness. They look amazing.
SKINNY MOZZARELLA STICKS/ oh my heavens!
I want to reach through my computer screen and eat that whole plate of these!!!
yum! these look great and much more guilt free!
thanks!
YUM! I’ve made these before and they are SUCH a good substitute instead of the fried, full-of-fat version. Your pics are gorgeous, too!
these look delicious! but how do you determine the nutritional info? it says 43 “per bite…” — is that per stick? i want to make them but i’m very health conscious, too!
Georgia — March 19th, 2013 @ 10:26 pm
Yes, that’s 43 calories per mozzarella stick.
I always love this food, cheese sticks. Here, we usually fry it. However your pictures look very yummy, I have to try the bake one some time. Thanks a lot!
Does the kind of cheese stick used really make a difference? I used low-fat string cheese sticks and they didn’t get stringy and melted like the pictures above. Does it really only work with part-skim milk cheese sticks?
Georgia — July 2nd, 2013 @ 12:15 pm
Hi Jessica – I’m sorry you didn’t have good luck using low-fat string cheese. I’ve only ever used part-skim, which probably works so well because of the slightly higher fat content. I hope you try these again!
These look great! I’ve tried making cheese sticks before, but I didn’t think to freeze them… they were a melted mess – I think you gave me the answer – thanks!!!!