Noshing With the Nolands

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

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Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Is there anything better than hot, golden brown Mozzarella Cheese Sticks fresh out of the deep fryer? Yes! When they’re homemade and just as easy as frozen ones from the store but they come out of your kitchen.

Here is a recipe for Mozzarella Cheese Sticks from a fellow blogger’s site My Prairie Window and originally from Ree Drummond’s latest cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Keira from My Prairie Window has been of great help and support along my journey into food blogging. We have started at the exact same time and have really tried to help each other out.

This recipe is a very easy, super tasty side dish, appetizer or snack. I did my own twist with a lovely tomato dipping sauce and gave it a little BAM with some Emeril’s seasoning in the flour. I know you will enjoy this one!!

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with tomato dipping sauce

Crispy on the outside and ooey gooey on the inside, that is perfection to me!! Cheese sticks of any kind are a huge draw to me but the ones that I find do the best are string cheese sticks for this recipe.

What to eat with mozzarella cheese? Well, mozarella cheese sticks go great with a tomato dipping sauce. 

OOEY GOOEY CHEESE!!

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks showing their ooey gooey interior

Everyone young and old will love these. Kids go crazy for cheese and for crispy goodness so you know these will be a winner! These would also be great on game day as you cheer your favorite team forward.

I love that they can be made up and stored in the freezer until they go for a pop in the deep fryer. That is a great way to have them on hand and not to stress about getting them ready before company arrives. They are ready and waiting for you!!

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with String Cheese?

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Once you’ve made the spice blend, it’s actually really fast and easy to make the actual mozzarella cheese sticks. The secret ingredient is using string cheese sticks instead of spending a lot of time trying to shape the mozzarella into a stick.

Setting up an assembly line is the best way to get the mozzarella sticks coated in batter. Bowl one should have the flour and Emeril’s Essence mixture; bowl two will be the milk and egg mixture; and bowl three will be the outer crust – the panko crumb with parsley, salt, and pepper mixture.

Lay the baking sheet beside the third bowl so that you can place it on the baking sheet immediately after coating it. Chill in the freezer for half an hour and then fry until golden brown.

It’s really that easy. The hardest part is going to be convincing yourself that you shouldn’t make these every day.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 16 string cheese sticks
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Emeril's Essence
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Canola oil for frying

Dipping sauce

  • 19 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper or to taste
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Emeril's Essence

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients together for Emeril's spice. You will think of a million things to put it into.
  • Unwrap cheese sticks and cut them in half. Using three bowls for dipping, place the flour and Emeril's Essence in the first bowl. Beat the eggs with the milk in the second bowl and then in the third bowl add the panko crumbs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Now start to dip the cheese sticks. First in the flour, then egg and finally panko. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 20-30 min. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan and add the garlic and saute for 1 min. Add the tomato sauce, red pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 15 min. Heat a few inches of the canola oil in a wok or large deep frying pan. Place sticks in the oil and fry to golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry them in batches. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with the tomato sauce immediately.
    • © Tara Noland
    Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

    Emeril’s Essence by Emeril Lagasse

     

    Comments

    4. I love these Mozzarella Cheese Sticks. They are a favorite of my kids. I can’t wait to make them. Thanks for a great post:)

      Reply

    12. Made to perfection and the sticks looks so tempting, what more with the sauce. I can imagine the wonderful taste and more of these sticks for me as I don’t think one stick will be enough for me.

      Reply

    15. Tara,
      This looks super yummy. Thanks for sharing at Creative Thursday last week. I can’t wait to see what you link up this week. Have a great day 🙂
      Michelle

      Reply

    18. Do you fill the pan with enough to oil to completely coat the sticks, top and bottom? Or just enough to coat the bottom of the pan?

      Reply

    23. Just made these mozzarella sticks for the twins birthday dinner tonight/pizza night. I had to use a extra egg to dip twice the panko didn’t stick with the first dunk…….they sucked up all the juice and I had to add more panko to finish it off. They look amazing the final test will be soon. Just wanted to say that I think the emeril spices added the right touch. Thanks for sharing

      Reply

    26. these look so good. i love mozzarella sticks and must admit that i’ve never thought to make them at home by scratch! must make soon!

      Reply

    28. I made these tonight (eating as im typing) they taste great! I think the only thing I need to adjust is how high the heat is set for the oil. When I pulled mine out at the same golden color as yours the cheese was not melted. I had to leave them in longer which made them darker. Do you have to freeze them? Or can u put them in the oil directly after coating them?

      Reply

    32. Thanks for sharing at the Happiness Is Homemade Link Party! Pinning to the party board and can’t wait to see what happiness posts you share next week! Have a terrific week!
      Cathy
      APeekIntoMyParadise.com

      Reply

      • I don’t use our deep fryer that often but the rule of thumb is to 350F. I do a lot of frying in a wok or deep fry pan and heat until a small amount of bread dropped in sizzles on medium heat. Initially heating at medium high.

        Reply

      • Hi Lois, sorry this is an old recipe when I didn’t use the print out portion but let me fix that for you. Otherwise you could copy and paste into a word document.

        Reply

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