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These baked mozzarella bites are better than the fried version and perfect to keep in the freezer for a snack anytime of the day.
The Utah Dairy Council has sponsored this post
You guys, I am a little embarrassed to tell you something. No judgments please. When I was growing up I had a few things that I would eat after school as a snack. Here goes… Mozzarella Sticks-the frozen ones from Costco, Bagel Bites (remember those?!), Pizza Rolls (seriously.), deviled eggs, and, ehem, croutons with ranch. Oh and don’t forget a drink, I’d fill a huge glass with ice, a little water and I’d eat the ice with a spoon. Yeah. That happened. These Baked Mozzarella Bites are at least a little healthier and I just know that kids everywhere would love them as an after school snack. That is, when you aren’t making this fried inside out pepperoni pizza. Plus, you can make a ton, freeze them, place them in a ziploc and pull out as many as you want to eat each day without any fuss.
You may remember our berry quinoa salad recipe or our heirloom tomato tart that we posted a few weeks ago. Both are seriously so easy, and both feature these marinated mozzarella balls that we found at Costco. Stinking Costco. We love that place. We seriously get so sucked in. You’d almost think that Costco would want to invite us for some private party or give us a complimentary account considering how much money we spend there. Anyway, this summer we discovered their tub of marinated mozzarella and we’ve been making all sorts of crazy delicious recipes with them ever since.
These baked mozzarella bites totally take me back in time to when I was a kid and I would walk home from school (which means I would hurry home because I always had to go to the bathroom when school got out. Haha, TMI? Too late.) with my awesome bungee bracelet with my house key dangling from the zipper. I would run to the kitchen and pull out a few mozzarella sticks for my mom to bake up for me. Then I would take my huge mug of ice and water (see the first paragraph) up to my room, lay on my bed and do my homework. Dude, I miss being a kid. And I miss that metabolism. And strangely, I miss homework. Truly. I miss learning and working hard on what I know. Oh, and SSR. Who know’s what that stands for?
Is Mozzarella Cheese Low Fat?
Commonly used types of cheese all contain similar amounts of saturated fat.
Mozzarella and feta are on the low end of the scale for saturated fat.
Is Spaghetti Sauce the Same As Marinara Sauce?
In the US, the terms “marinara sauce” and “spaghetti sauce” are used almost interchangeably.
They are both a tomato-based sauce used in Italian cooking.
Baked Mozzarella Bites
Baked Mozzarella Bites
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Mozzarella Balls, Marinated, found at Costco or the specialty cheese section of your store
- 2 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- Cooking spray
- Marinara Sauce, you can use your own or store bought
Instructions
- Roll each mozzarella ball in panko and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.2 Cups Mozzarella Balls, 2 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- Freeze for 2 hours or overnight. You can then either place the mozzarella in a ziploc or cook immediately.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the mozzarella on a parchment lined baking sheet, spray the breadcrumbs liberally to help with browning and bake for 6-10 minutes or until lightly golden and gooey.Cooking spray
- Serve with warm marinara sauceMarinara Sauce
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m not sure what I did wrong. Froze them over night and tried baking them the next morning. Pulled them out and they looked like melted snowmen. Just a flat pile of mozzarella cheese with panko on top.
Hi Alyssa! This can be so hard depending on the water content and quality of the mozzarella, they may need more freezer time. If they are melting too fast, crank up the oven heat to bake them quickly. Sorry for the frustration!
I followed the instructions, but the balls all melted into a pile. I had them in the freezer for four hours before cooking at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Do they need to be frozen longer to retain their shape?
That’s what’s hard, depending on the water content and quality of mozz they may need more freezer time and if they are melting too fast, crank up the oven heat to bake them quickly. Sorry for the frustration!
I tried to cook these since they looked yummo scrumptious! Unfortunately I burnt the left side of my kitchen down in the process. Am starting a go fund me to rebuild. I vow to come back stronger than ever in order to complete my attempt at cooking the mozzarella balls seen above. 10/10 would recommend.
Please tell me this is isn’t serious! I would feel horrible! Bread and cheese can fix almost anything though!
nice article…
Thank you!
You’re quite welcome, deary:)
Cooked exactly as directed for 6 minutes. They were a melted mess with burned panko! Very disappointing!
Hi all, it’s me, Janelle again. I was having a bad day when i posted that about a year ago… I’ve grown since then and I’m here to say…. these balls are SCRUMPTY LUMPTIOUS! Took me straight to flavor town and I’ll be back again!!!!! Consider flavor town me vacation home!!! Hehe…… love these flavor balls EVERYONE NEED TRY!!!!
Thank you so much!
Janelle,
That was so nice of you. To come back and admit you made a mistake in posting your comment was so inspiring to me. I can think of a couple I’d like to take back. We just have to keep trying to be the very best we can be and forgive ourselves when we miss the mark. Thank you!