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Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites with Easy Marinara Sauce

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Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites with Easy Marinara Sauce

These finger-licking, oven-baked morsels are crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. One bite and you'll be convinced they're as delicious as the deep-fried version.

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   4 cheese bites

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat or plain panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 low-fat mozzarella string cheese sticks (about 1 ounce each), each cut into 4 pieces

Easy Marinara Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crumbled
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
  2. Put the cornstarch in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Put the panko in a second gallon-size resealable plastic bag. In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg whites, water, and pepper.
  3. Add eight cheese pieces to the bag with the cornstarch, shaking to coat well. Dip the cheese pieces in the egg mixture, coating well. Transfer the cheese to the bag with the panko, shaking the bag until each cheese piece is well coated. Transfer to the baking sheet. Working in two batches, repeat with the remaining cheese.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
  5. Serve with the marinara sauce for dipping.

Easy Marinara Sauce

  1. In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and pepper for 5 minutes, or until heated through, stirring frequently.
  2. Simmer, covered, until ready to serve with the cheese bites.

Cooking Tip: For best results on keeping a bread coating on a moist food, such as the panko on the string cheese in this recipe, first dip it in cornstarch. The cornstarch acts as a "glue" to help the coating stick better to the food.

Keep it Healthy: Remember this easy-to-make marinara sauce, which is a simple combination of crushed tomatoes and spices, for your next pasta dinner. It most likely will have more flavor and less sodium and added sugar than a jarred marinara sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites with Easy Marinara Sauce
CaloriesCalories
104 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
11g Per Serving
FiberFiber
1g Per Serving
Cost Per ServingCost Per Serving
$1.26

Nutrition Facts

Calories 104
Total Fat 2.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 240 mg
Total Carbohydrate 14 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 11 g

Dietary Exchanges
1 starch, 1 lean meat

 
These finger-licking, oven-baked morsels are crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. One bite and you'll be convinced they're as delicious as the deep-fried version.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites with Easy Marinara Sauce
CaloriesCalories
104 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
11g Per Serving
FiberFiber
1g Per Serving
Cost Per ServingCost Per Serving
$1.26
×
Calories 104
Total Fat 2.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 240 mg
Total Carbohydrate 14 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 11 g

Dietary Exchanges
1 starch, 1 lean meat

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   4 cheese bites

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat or plain panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 low-fat mozzarella string cheese sticks (about 1 ounce each), each cut into 4 pieces

Easy Marinara Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crumbled
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Bites

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
  2. Put the cornstarch in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Put the panko in a second gallon-size resealable plastic bag. In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg whites, water, and pepper.
  3. Add eight cheese pieces to the bag with the cornstarch, shaking to coat well. Dip the cheese pieces in the egg mixture, coating well. Transfer the cheese to the bag with the panko, shaking the bag until each cheese piece is well coated. Transfer to the baking sheet. Working in two batches, repeat with the remaining cheese.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
  5. Serve with the marinara sauce for dipping.

Easy Marinara Sauce

  1. In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and pepper for 5 minutes, or until heated through, stirring frequently.
  2. Simmer, covered, until ready to serve with the cheese bites.

Cooking Tip: For best results on keeping a bread coating on a moist food, such as the panko on the string cheese in this recipe, first dip it in cornstarch. The cornstarch acts as a "glue" to help the coating stick better to the food.

Keep it Healthy: Remember this easy-to-make marinara sauce, which is a simple combination of crushed tomatoes and spices, for your next pasta dinner. It most likely will have more flavor and less sodium and added sugar than a jarred marinara sauce.
 

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