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“Unfried” Baked Mozzarella Sticks – crunchy & gooey cheesy goodness without the guilt. Plus a healthy Greek yogurt ranch dip. Yay for healthy snacks!
I have a confession to make. I am a fried food fanatic. Fresh cut fries, onion rings, fried pickles, fried mushrooms, fried seafood – and of course fried mozzarella sticks. Oh, how I love them all.
I know better though. I don’t each much of it besides the occasional county fair when I go buck wild on the deep fried goodies.
I’ve learned to enjoy some healthier alternatives to curb my fried food fixation. Fresh cut oven roasted french fries & sweet potato fries are in regular rotation in my house. For all the other fried goodies, I bread and bake them for the crunch without the fat & cholesterol.
Fried Mozzarella Sticks are one of my all time favorites and luckily one of the easiest fried foods to make “unfried” at home. Roll the cheese sticks in some panko, give them a little freezer time and throw them in the oven. Crunchy, cheesy gooey goodness.
Guess what…? I made this snack even healthier with Weight Watchers Light String Cheese. With half the fat and 25% less calories of regular string cheese I can enjoy this lightened up snack and feel even better about eating it. Want to spice it up a little bit? Then throw Weight Watchers Jalapeno Flavored String Cheese into the mix. Think jalapeno popper mozzarella sticks. Yummmm.
Know what every fried or oven baked snack needs? Something to dip that crunchy goodness into. Marinara sauce with mozzarella sticks – that’s a given. Ranch dip – you better believe it. I’m a ranch dressing enthusiast but I’m not so enthusiastic about all the fat & calories that are in a serving of it. I’ve improvised with a Greek yogurt ranch dip. Stir a few herbs & spices in a cup of yogurt and you got yourself a ranch dip loaded with flavor and protein and fabulously low in calories & fat.
I hope you enjoy this “Unfried” Baked Mozzarella Stick. I love food and I’m not into cutting favorite foods out of my diet. It’s great to have healthier options so we can enjoy the snacks we love more often. Thanks for stopping by!
-Amanda-
I found these awesome Weight Watchers products and everything else I needed to create this healthy snacking recipe at my local Giant Food Stores.
Stop by your local Giant Food Stores between 9/1/16 – 9/28/16 and when you buy any (5) FIVE participating Weight Watchers products (excluding Heinz SmartOnes & Meeting Room Products) you’ll Save $3.00 instantly while supplies last!
"Unfried" Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients
- 6 Weight Watchers Light String Cheese Regular or Jalapeno
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- garlic powder a pinch
- salt a pinch
- olive oil for spritzing
Instructions
- Cut sticks of string cheese in half. Set aside.
- Crack egg in a small bowl, beat.
- In a separate bowl combine panko, flour, parsley, garlic powder & salt.
- Dip a piece of string cheese into egg, then into panko. Press panko onto all surfaces & ends of cheese.
- Place breaded cheese stick onto wax paper lined plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
- Freeze breaded cheese sticks for at least half an hour. These can be made days ahead of time and kept covered in the freezer.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spritz with olive oil.
- Place breaded cheese sticks on cookie sheet. Spritz tops with olive oil.
- Bake until tops are light golden brown - about 8-12 minutes.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
Ingredients
- 1 Greek nonfat yogurt cup 5.3 oz
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- pinch dill
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Combine all herbs and spices with Greek yogurt.
- Refrigerate for at least half an hour before serving - allowing flavors to blend.
- Get to dipping & enjoy 🙂
I love mozza sticks and I love even more that they aren’t fried. Totally guilt free, which means I can have extra, lol 😀 That Greek ranch dip sounds perfect! For me, the sauce is super important too! Can’t wait to try these. Pinned 🙂 Have a fantastic week, my friend!
Hi Dawn! Fried foods…oh such a guilty pleasure. These mozzarella sticks – you got it – totally guilt free. We ate lots & lots of them 🙂
There’s a big local fair coming up soon – so I’ll get fried goodness in with a vengeance 😉
Hope you had a wonderful week and your upcoming weekend is fun, fabulous and relaxing!
P.S. Love your new logo 🙂 !
I just can’t wait to try this out. Sounds interesting and looks so delicious!
Thanks so much Kushi! Hope you love them 🙂
I also have a weakness for fried food, and mozzarella sticks are among my favorites! (My brother gave me some for my birthday one year!!) Alas, as I’ve gotten better about watching what I eat, I rarely eat them anymore. Love this healthier alternative!
Ha – that’s a great birthday present!
Fried foods are certainly one of the best & worst foods simultaneously – healthier alternatives make the world a happier place 🙂
I love fried foods too. But I think that these unfried baked mozzarella sticks would be just as delicious as any fried foods. Yum!
Thanks so much Dawn 🙂