Crispy mozzarella sticks with rich tomato sauce

Mozzarella Sticks with Rich Tomato Sauce Recipe

30 Minutes
Serves: 2

A delicious starter of crispy mozzarella sticks with a tomato dip, mozzarella encased in crunchy breadcrumbs served with a rich tomato sauce flavoured with garlic, oregano and basil.

Recipe Ingreds

Cheese

  • 150 grams mozzarella
  • 1 . sunflower oil (for frying)

Coating

  • black pepper (to taste)
  • 75 grams panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 whole egg
  • salt (to taste)

Sauce

  • black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 tsp oregano (dried)
  • 3 sprig fresh basil
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 whole onions
  • salt (to taste)
  • 1 tin tinned tomatoes

Recipe with pictures Steps

Step 1

  • cut the mozzarella into sticks

Step 2

  • place the breadcrumbs in a hand liquidiser
  • blend till finer crumb
  • place the breadcrumbs on a plate
  • break the egg(s) into the shallow bowl and beat with a fork
  • season with salt and pepper

Step 3

  • organise the breading ingredients into a row with the egg and then the breadcrumbs.
  • take a stick of cheese
  • dip in the egg and then into the breadcrumbs mixture coating the cheese fully
  • repeat for each stick
  • place in the freezer for 30 minutes
  • if cooking extra for the freezer leave the additional sticks in the freezer

Step 4

  • Make the tomato sauce
  • peel and chop the onion(s) finely
  • heat the frying pan with a little oil
  • add the onions to the frying pan

Step 5

  • peel and crush the garlic using the garlic crusher or chop finely
  • add to the frying pan
  • cook for a minute or two

Step 6

  • add the tinned tomatoes to the frying pan
  • add the oregano
  • cook till the sauce thickens
  • if cooking extra for the freezer set aside the additional sauce to cool then place in a freezer proof dish and place in the freezer

Step 7

  • wash and tear the basil leaves add to the sauce
  • taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary
  • set a side

Step 8

  • remove the mozzarella sticks from the freezer
  • heat about 21/2 cms of frying oil in a frying pan
  • Drop a breadcrumb into the oil to check its hot enough it should fizzle
  • cook in batches till golden brown
  • place on kitchen paper to drain
  • keep warm until all the sticks are cooked

Step 9

  • place the sticks and the sauce on a large sharing serving plate
  • serve immediately

Recipe Utensils

  • 1 bowl
  • 2 chopping board
  • 2 frying pan
  • 1 Garlic crusher
  • 1 hand liquidiser
  • 1 kitchen paper
  • 2 large knife
  • 2 plate
More recipes you might like: Around the World, Freezer Friendly, Starter

How to make homemade mozzarella sticks with tomato sauce

Deliciously crisp and gooey mozzarella sticks, with a homemade tomato sauce.

To make the sticks 

The mozzarella is cut into sticks and coated in panko breadcrumbs. The sticks are frozen before deep frying. Once cooked these crispy mozzarella sticks are crunchy on the outside and creamy and gooey on the inside.

Tomato dip for mozzarella sticks

A simple tomato dipping sauce flavoured with oregano and basil is perfect for dipping crispy mozzarella sticks into. To make the dip lightly fry the onions and garlic in the frying pan, add the tinned tomatoes and oregano gently cook till the sauce thickens then add the chopped basil and season to taste

Recipe tips

  • Make sure the oil is hot enough, 177C and allow the oil to come back up to temperature between batches
  • You can bake these sticks in the oven, place them on baking parchments and lightly spray them with oil, and cook in the oven at 180C

Can you freeze?

Yes, you can freeze mozzarella sticks, freeze before cooking and cook directly from frozen. You can also freeze the tomato sauce, allow it to fully cool before you freeze it, and then defrost it before reheating and serving the sauce warm.

When to cook mozzarella sticks and tomato sauce

This is an all-year-round starter it is ideal for any dinner party, especially for an Italian-themed dinner party.  It's simple to make so great for beginners, they can be difficult to cook,  make sure the oil is at the correct temperature in between batches.

Who will love this recipe?

It is loved by adults and children alike so is perfect for family get-togethers. It’s also a great sharing starter so is great for a romantic meal for two. These are also the perfect snack for movie night especially if you love cheese

Mozzarella sticks dinner party starter 

This starter is ideal for an Italian dinner party starter, serve with chicken, mushroom and spinach risotto for the main course and a dessert of mascarpone strawberry tart. 

What sauce to eat with mozzarella sticks

What sauces go well will mozzarella sticks? We serve them with a homemade rich tomato sauce dip.. Other sauces you can use are

  • Barbecue dip
  • sweet chilli dip
  • hot chilli tomato dip
  • Sweet fig dip

If you want to add extra flavour to your cheese sticks then add dry spices or herbs to the breadcrumb coating.

What makes our mozzarella sticks with tomato sauce the best

Our breaded cheese sticks are extra special because we double dip them in panko crumbs for extra crunch. The star of this recipe is our rich tomato sauce that complements the mozzarella sticks perfectly 

Other tomato starter recipes

Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup

Mushrooms Stuffed With Cashew & Peas

Tomato, Saffron and Ricotta Tart

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