There are two types of people in the world: those who peel string cheese strand by strand, and those who just bite right into it. As a kid, I can remember eating string cheese as my go–to after–school snack. Carefully pulling apart the yellow and white strands of cheese, I would probably be content eating string cheese with every meal. Another food that brings me back to my childhood is mozzarella sticks—aka deep–fried string cheese (can you sense a theme here?). The problem is that one of these foods is much better for your body than the other, which is why I began to brainstorm healthier ways to make mozzarella sticks at home.
The main reason why mozzarella sticks are so unhealthy (read: delicious) is because they’re deep fried. So, if you make mozzarella sticks without a deep fryer, they’ll automatically be much better for you. These mozzarella sticks are baked in the oven, and they’re only two ingredients! Grab a package of your favorite kind of string cheese, and buy a package of wonton wrappers. This might sound like a strange item, but they're sold at many grocery stores. Simply wrap the cheese sticks inside of wonton wrappers, bake until the cheese starts to melt and know that this is the only acceptable way to eat string cheese without peeling it apart.
Servings: 24 mozzarella sticks (Ed. note: Yep, that's probably enough for a snack when I come home alone).
What you’ll need:
- Wonton wrappers (can be found at Fro Gro)
- Package of mozzarella string cheese
- 1 egg
- Marinara sauce
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut each of the cheese sticks in half.
- Use one wonton wrapper for each half of a string cheese. Place the mozzarella cheese diagonally across the wanton wrapper.
- To make sure the wrapper stays closed, crack one egg, scramble it and dab it onto the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the corners of the wrapper onto the ends of the mozzarella and continue to roll the wrapper over the cheese until it is fully and tightly covered.
- Bake in the oven for approximately eight minutes. Flip mozzarella sticks over when half of the bake time has elapsed. Mozzarella sticks are done when the outside turns crispy and golden.
- Remove from the oven, serve with marinara sauce heated in the microwave for 30 seconds and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure that you fully seal each mozzarella stick so that the cheese doesn’t melt everywhere in the oven
- If you can’t find wonton wrappers, you can also bread each cheese stick with a thick coating of flour, egg and breadcrumbs and bake them in the oven.
- Eat the mozzarella sticks immediately; they taste best when the cheese is still melted instead of cold and hardened.
