Panko Fried Mozzarella Sticks with Homemade Marinara
I first saw a recipe for homemade cheese sticks a few weeks ago. It stuck with me. I love, love, love me some fried cheese sticks, but they’re ridiculously expensive at restaurants and even to buy the frozen ones at the grocery store. So…I decided that I had to try to make these when I got the chance.
Last night, I had the chance. After I finished up the Cowgirl / Horse Cake, I sort of relaxed the rest of the day (aside from folding 27 million pieces of laundry).
Then by afternoon, I got a little tired of laundry and decided to head back to the kitchen. I already knew I was making chili for supper (with some of that frozen ground beef and some frozen black beans…it took me all of 5 minutes to have a pot of chili thrown together..yay! for freezer cooking. But I digress.) but I was itching to make something else…and my daughter Sarah wanted to be in the kitchen too.
So…after mulling it over for a few minutes…I remembered the fried mozzarella! A couple of weeks ago I had bought the Panko Bread crumbs and cheese sticks we needed, and I already had everything else to make the cheese sticks and homemade marinara sauce.
So, off we went. Sarah and I got out all the ingredients and started rolling, dipping, and coating the cheese sticks.
I unwrapped them and she cut them in half… then she helped me measure out the breadcrumbs and parsley…
Then we rolled them in flour, dipped them in the egg/milk mixture, then coated them in the bread crumbs/parsley mixture…
Next we flash froze them (which requires some patience)…and fried them. That was a good time to make the sauce (no pictures of that though).
And then I had to slap a few hands to keep my kids from eating them all before I could get a couple of pictures!
And let me tell you. They were delicious!!! I figure this platter of 32 fried cheese sticks (or what was 32 cheese stick before little hands started grabbing) plus the marinara sauce cost me just under $10. The kids also liked dipping them in Ranch dressing instead of the marinara but I didn’t take that into account.
So, we won’t be having these often because they’re not the most frugal snack for our family, but they were certainly cheaper than a restaurant or pre-made at the grocery store… and they hit the spot!
But even better, I made a memory and had tons of fun cooking with my sweet Sarah!
Here’s my abbreviated version of the recipe:
Panko Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients
Cheese Sticks:
- 16 mozzarello cheese sticks, cut in half
- 2 whole eggs, with 3 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups Panko Bread crumbs, with 1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
- canola or vegetable oil, for frying (I used vegetable)
- Marinara sauce (or my kids like ranch) for dipping
Marinara Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (14 to 15 oz)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water, optional
Instructions
- Next you’ll need 3 little bowls for the 3 different steps of the breading process. Here they are in order…
- Roll the cheese in flour.
- Dip in the egg/milk mixture.
- Coat with the breadcrumbs/parsley mixture.
- Line them up on a cookie sheet or platter and freeze for 20-30 minutes.
- Then fry in hot oil (but not too hot) until brown and crispy (it doesn’t take long!).
- Allow to drain (on a paper towel) and cool (so you don’t burn your taste buds off)! Dip away and enjoy!! I’d say these would be great party food, but I think I could probably fry all night and never make enough to feed a crowd (because they’re just. that. YUMMY!), so I think I’ll stick to serving them to my family!
To make your own marinara sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, just until fragrant and lightly golden. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.
- Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken and develop rich flavor. This is the perfect chunky sauce!
- For a smoother sauce, remove from heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully transfer to a blender and blend for about 10 seconds until smooth.
- Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pan. Pulse in short bursts until you reach your desired consistency.
- Return the sauce to the pan if needed and thin with a little warm water to reach your preferred texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Allow to cool.
- Serve with fresh fried cheese sticks!
Do you have any questions about this recipe? Please feel free to leave a comment and I’ll help if I can!
These are the best! I tried them back around the time that Courtney posted the recipe. My son and some of the neighborhood children helped and we LOVED them. They are a little time consuming though so I think the next time I will make up a batch, freeze them and just take them out as I want to use them 🙂
oops that would've been Ree not Courtney lol I was just at the Women Living Well blog and mixed myself up!
You didn’t use marinara on the show I watched you made a dipping sauce you could also use for hot wings … Louisiana hot sauce with vinegar and another ingredient.