Baked Mozzarella Sticks

These poor, innocent, unsuspecting mozzarella sticks look kinda like fishsticks, but they're not.  These, my friends, are baked mozzarella sticks!!  Whoo-hoo!!  These are kind of a pain to make, but they're fun to do every once in a while.  (I think the last time I made them was 7 or 8 years ago!).  You take string cheese, (I cut mine in half, so they're not super long), dredge it in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and then bake until the cheese inside is melty.  The recipe comes from Taste of Home.

(You will probably have some melted cheese leak out of these during baking; I did, and it's really hard to avoid.  They will be good anyway!  The pic below is one I took before they went into the oven.)

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

from Taste of Home

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon water
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
12 sticks string cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce, heated

1.  Place flour in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, beat eggs and water. In a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper. Coat cheese sticks with flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with bread crumb mixture. Repeat egg and bread crumb coatings. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet; drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. Allow to stand for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve with marinara or spaghetti sauce for dipping. Yield: 4-6 servings.

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