These are the pigs in a blanket of the Italian American appetizer world! I love a slightly creamy tomato sauce and the crisped breadcrumbs and cheese. Fry the sticks as close to eating as you can. They only keep warm and gooey in the oven for a short time. You can fully bread and freeze them (unfried) for another day and just pop out, defrost and fry as well.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- One 14.5-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 12 mozzarella cheese sticks (about 12 ounces)
- Kosher salt
- Canola oil
Instructions
- Make the sauce: In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt. Stir in the sugar and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes. Cook over high heat, stirring from time to time, an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the cream. Transfer the mixture to a blender, let cool slightly and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Make the sticks: Set up the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in separate containers. Roll each stick in the flour and shake off the excess. Roll each in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (reserve the egg and breadcrumbs for a second breading).
- Roll the sticks again in just the egg and breadcrumbs a second time. Refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fry: Pour the oil into a deep, heavy- bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F over medium heat. Prepare a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel and a slotted spoon.
- Drop about half of the sticks into the oil and gently “swirl” the oil so they fry more evenly on all sides. When they are light to medium brown, after 3 to 5 minutes, remove them with the spoon and lay them on the kitchen towel to cool. Season immediately with salt. Keep them warm in the oven while you fry the rest.
- Serve: Serve the tomato sauce, warm, in a bowl for dunking. Arrange the sticks on a platter.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 252 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 77 mg |
| Sodium | 392 mg |
Reviews
So delicious and easy to do! Already made this recipe a couple times
These were great, and my teenage boys loved them! I used jarred spaghetti sauce, which still tasted great with the mozzarella sticks. Doubling the breading was a great way to keep the breading from falling off. They tasted as though we ordered them from a restaurant!
Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to make for Super Bowl party. If you want more of a tomato forward marinara sauce, you can omit the cream.