Today’s guest post recipe comes from Lisa – the Domestic Lifestylist. She is a traveler at heart and is here to share with us her amazing crispy baked mozzarella bites recipe.
Mozzarella sticks are a favorite among kids and adults alike. Here is a baked, low fat version that you can easily prepare at home with a cook time of only 3-5 minutes! Your family will be all smiles.
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 1 cup crushed canned Italian tomatoes with garlic, oregano & basil
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil leaves
- ½ tbsp Italian dry seasoning
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Mozzarella Bites
- Frozen low fat mozzarella string cheese 8 sticks, cut into 1 inch pieces *See note
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs well beaten
- ½ tbsp paprika
- Canola oil cooking spray
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
- In small saucepan add olive oil on medium low heat
- Add garlic and Italian seasoning,
- As soon as garlic begins to get tender (don’t burn the garlic), add tomatoes and stir
- Add sea salt, pepper and basil
- Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
- Serve alongside mozzarella bites
Mozzarella Bites
- Turn on oven broiler.
- Start with frozen mozzarella pieces. Only remove cheese from the freezer once you are ready to prepare the recipe
- In small batches, coat cheese in flour, dusting off excess and set aside
- Add paprika to panko and mix well
- Dip cheese in eggs and then roll or shake cheese in panko/paprika mix
- Place on greased cookie sheet
- Lightly spray breaded mozzarella pieces with canola oil, holding at least 6-8 inches away
- Bake for 3-5 minutes until brown and cheese just starts to melt
- Serve with homemade (recipe above) or favorite store bought marinara sauce
*Note: this recipe calls for the use of frozen mozzarella string cheese. Buy the regular package of mozzarella string cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces and freeze for a few hours or until hard.
![lisa-crop[1]](https://www.5minutesformom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/lisa-crop1.png)
Lisa is the mother of two (3 years and an infant), wife of one, chief home economist and fan of making the ordinary extraordinary. Her blog is a lifestyle blog helping moms to live life at home with finesse and style, amidst occasional domestic chaos but always great fun & fabulous food.
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them out!
I’ve been trying to perfect my mozzarella stick for quite a while now. I never thought to freeze the cheese. That is exactly what I need to do! My kids will be thrilled with their new treat.
Just pop the mozzarella sticks in the freezer when you come home from the store. That way, they will be ready whenever you (or your kids) are ready to enjoy.
Those look soooooooooooooo good! Pinning these now so I can try this recipe soon.
So that’s how you manage to bake them crispy by using frozen bites of cheese! Now I’m hungry and don’t have any frozen cheese….
Those look delicious!
I hope you enjoy them. It’s super easy to prepare.
Yum! I’ve never tried to make these on my own and I always feel SO guilty buying the icky frozen ones.
Gotta try this!