TGI Friday’s Mozzarella Sticks are extremely popular both in their restaurants and in the freezer section of the supermarkets. They’re dreamy, cheesy, and deep-fried. Happily, my skinny ones are baked not fried! Each serving, including the sauce, has 81 calories and 3 grams of fat. These make a fantastic appetizer and a healthy snack for you and the kids. Double the serving size and they make a yummy light lunch served with a salad. Watch them disappear quickly. They are that gooood!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Mozzarella Sticks:
- 12 light string cheese sticks, I used WW Smoke Flavored String Cheese or any brand of light low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks, see shopping tips
- 1 large egg, I like Egg-Land’s Best
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup panko crumbs, see shopping tips
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Cooking spray, I like olive oil cooking spray
Ingredients for Dipping:
- ¾ cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce, I used Classico Pizza Sauce, see shopping tips
Instructions
- Cut each cheese stick in half to create 24 pieces. Place cheese pieces on a plate and freeze for at least 1 hour until frozen. These can be stored for several days in the freezer until ready to use. Wrap them in plastic wrap, once frozen.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Place flour in another small bowl. In a third small bowl, add panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- To assemble mozzarella sticks: Dip frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into egg, then finally coat with panko crumbs. Repeat steps to coat all of them.
- Place all coated sticks on the baking sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
- Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and spray with a little more cooking spray. Bake an additional 4-5 minutes until heated but NOT melted. In fact, be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t melt!
- Remove from oven and place on a plate. Serve with pizza sauce on the side. Refrigerate any leftovers. They will keep for several days. To reheat, either zap in microwave for a few seconds or place on a baking sheet and heat in a 400-degree oven until warm but not melted.
Notes
Makes 24 pieces (each serving 2 pieces and 1 tablespoon sauce) These 2 pieces are equal to 1 string cheese stick!
Food Facts
TGI Friday’s is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. Alan Stillman created the original concept in 1965 in New York. TGI Friday’s,Inc. restaurant chain was founded by Daniel R. Scoggin and partners in 1971. They now sell many of their foods in the frozen section of the supermarket including their mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.
Shopping Tips
I love WW Smoke Flavored String Cheese. It’s my very favorite kind of light string cheese!. WW sells it and I bought mine on Instacart. I think Weight Watchers is the only brand that sells the smokey flavor. If you can’t find them use another brand such as light string cheese such as Frigo or Sargento. I like Classico or Prego’s pizza sauce. It comes in a small (14 oz) size jar. You could also use a jar of marinara sauce if desired.
To Bake in Air-fryer
When you’re ready to bake a batch, preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees. Coat the air fryer basket and sticks with some nonstick spray oil before you put them in the basket. This way they don’t stick to the basket, and a little extra oil helps them brown. Cook time is about 8-10 minutes. This will ensure that the solid, frozen cheese sticks cook all the way through and become gooey.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 2-Blue
WW SmartPoints 2-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 2
Food Facts
TGI Friday’s is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. Alan Stillman created the original concept in 1965 in New York. TGI Friday’s,Inc. restaurant chain was founded by Daniel R. Scoggin and partners in 1971. They now sell many of their foods in the frozen section of the supermarket including their mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.
Shopping Tips
I love WW Smoke Flavored String Cheese. It’s my very favorite kind of light string cheese!. WW sells it and I bought mine on Instacart. I think Weight Watchers is the only brand that sells the smokey flavor. If you can’t find them use another brand such as light string cheese such as Frigo or Sargento. I like Classico or Prego’s pizza sauce. It comes in a small (14 oz) size jar. You could also use a jar of marinara sauce if desired.
To Bake in Air-fryer
When you’re ready to bake a batch, preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees. Coat the air fryer basket and sticks with some nonstick spray oil before you put them in the basket. This way they don’t stick to the basket, and a little extra oil helps them brown. Cook time is about 8-10 minutes. This will ensure that the solid, frozen cheese sticks cook all the way through and become gooey.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 2-Blue
WW SmartPoints 2-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 2
| SKINNY FACTS: for 2 pieces and 1 tablespoon pizza sauce 81 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat. fat, 20mg chol, 7g protein, 5g carbs, 0g fiber, 277mg sodium, 1g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 2sticksCalories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 7gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 277mgSugar: 1gBlue Smart Points: 2Green Smart Points: 2Plus Points: 2
Can you tell me what temp and how long to air fry this? Just want to use the air fryer this time around.
To Bake in Air-fryer:
When you’re ready to bake a batch, preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees. Coat the air fryer basket and sticks with some nonstick spray oil before you put them in the basket. This way they don’t stick to the basket, and a little extra oil helps them brown. Cook time is about 8-10 minutes. This will ensure that the solid, frozen cheese sticks cook all the way through and become gooey.
I hope you enjoy them, J’Lyn!
My very best,
Nancy