Stretchy, ooey gooey cheesiness comin’ at ya!

The kids and I have taken advantage of the school lunch program during the quarantine. Every weekday, we drive to the school and they load us up with lunch for the day. They pack tons of food into each day and I’m just so amazed at all of the care and effort put into their lunches each day. And, it’s free, so why not?

Their lunches usually include a main dish like pizza, a chicken sandwich, flautas, or something like that. They also always have healthy sides like carrot sticks, broccoli flourets with ranch dip, and cherry tomatoes. And then there’s a dessert of some kind like an M&M cookie or sour raisins.

Inevitably, there are things in their lunch that they won’t eat. They turn up their little noses and that’s when I get to work. Instead of making them eat it, I re-purpose those items (and then they eat them later and don’t even know it…I’m so evil! *evil laugh*).

This past week, the kiddos got mozzarella string cheese sticks every single day. Times two, that’s a heck of a lot of cheese sticks. So what do I do with them? I could cut them up and put them in a lasagna, top a homemade pizza, or put it in a salad. But why not fry it?

What’s your go to appetizer to order at an Italian restaurant? After the bring and dipping oil, our family definitely gravitates towards the fried mozzarella cheese sticks. They’re crunchy on the outside and have warm, stretchy cheese on the inside. Needless to say, we never make it to dessert when these things are involved.

So with this idea in mind, the fried cheese sticks came about!

Can I make cheese sticks in an air fryer?

You sure can! Instead of heating the oil on the stove and cooking them that way, you can put the frozen mozzarella sticks in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Just make sure the air fryer is hot and ready to go before putting them in.

Can I bake cheese sticks in an oven?

Yep! I recommend using a toaster oven, but you can use a regular size oven as well. Simply preheat the oven on the broil setting. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the frozen cheese sticks on the tray. Broil the cheese sticks 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Ooey gooey, stringy mozzarella cheese is encased in a crunchy crust that will have you licking your fingers and going back for more.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Freezing Time 4

Total Time 4 30

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

2 eggs beaten
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
4 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 16oz mozzarella cheese sticks cut in half

Instructions

Setup your cooking station with 3 shallow dishes.
In the first dish, combine the flour and cornstarch.
In the second dish, combine the eggs and water.
In the last dish, combine the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the bread crumb mixture.
After you have covered the sticks in each mixture once, repeat the egg and bread crumb mixtures again. Set aside on a baking sheet wrapped in aluminum foil. Continue with the rest of the cheese sticks.
Once you've breaded all of your cheese sticks, put them in the freezer and allow to freeze completely.

Time to Cook The Cheese

In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365° or so. Place a couple cheese sticks in the oil at atime. Do not overcrowd the pan as it will bring down the temperature of the oil and not cook them correctly. They will be done when they turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and dry them on paper towels.
Serve with a marinara dipping sauce and enjoy immediately.