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Cooking: How To Make Gluten Free Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (or Bites)
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Do you follow a Gluten Free Diet?
By now I think it is probably obvious to my readers that I follow a gluten free diet. I don't have Celiac (that I know of) thank goodness, but I do have a pretty strong gluten intolerance, so I try to cook gluten free no matter what - especially when I have serious cravings or when there is a potluck at work.
Cooking gluten free has become an adventure for me as it really gives me the opportunity to experiment with recipes, which I love to do - and working at a place that organizes potlucks all the time gives me a chance to test out my experiments on my colleagues (don't worry, I taste test them myself first, if I don't think it's good I scrap it and start again :P).
Over the past two years or so that I've really gotten more into my cooking, I have come up with many recipes that I can use to substitute for foods that I love but can't have anymore. Having these recipes available means I can cook something every once in a while that I might not usually get to eat.
Now, these recipes might not necessarily be healthy, but I did say every once in a while - and just because I'm gluten free doesn't mean I have to be a health nut about everything I eat, that's for sure! :)
That being said, I have come up with this gluten free mozzarella bites recipe for that once-in-a-while craving that I sometimes get for mozzarella sticks. My favorite mozzarella sticks are served at Fatz Cafe, Sonic, and Culvers - especially Culvers! These cheese bites aren't quite like any of these restaurants, but I like to think they come relatively close to Sonic's depending on the size and thickness of the cheese you choose to use.
This is a great recipe to make as just a little snack, or a side at dinner time - it's also a great appetizer option for the company potluck or the Superbowl Party, especially if you have a friend or two that are coming and eat gluten free!
I hope you enjoy this recipe!!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 packet Namaste Foods Gluten Free Italian Herb Coating Mix, or your favorite type of GF coating mix (you can also just use regular all purpose GF flour)
- 2 eggs, or egg substitute
- 3-4 cups sunflower oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 1 8 oz package of Mozzarella Cheese, pearls are easiest but you can slice a regular ball too
- about 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
- your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
*Note*
The Namaste Foods Italian Herb Seasoning mix is AWESOME --- but it is a little strong on the herbs. I recommend diluting the mix with some all purpose GF flour to lighten up the herby taste. If you don't like the really herby taste on your cheese sticks, you can try their
- Crack both eggs into a cereal bowl and whisk until the yolk is combined with the whites.
- Drop the mozzarella pearls into the egg and coat entirely.
- Place seasoning mix and Parmesan cheese in a Ziploc bag (if you use the Namaste brand, they actually come with coating bags!!).
- Transfer the mozzarella pearls from the egg bowl to the seasoning bag - let excess egg drip back into the bowl as you transfer them.Seal the bag and shake until well coated.
- Take each pearl from the bag and drop them back into the egg - gently shake each one to remove any excess breading.
- After the second egg coat, drop back into the seasoning bag and shake again until fully coated.
- Transfer the breaded mozzarella pearls to a baking sheet. Ensure that the cheese is as completely covered by the coating as possible, and freeze until completely frozen - for me it was about 40-45 minutes.
- A few minutes before you are ready to cook the mozzarella pearls, pour the oil into a deep pot or pan (I use a wok for all of my "deep" frying"). If you don't measure oil like me, the oil should be about an inch and a half deep in the pan. Turn the heat on the stove to medium high (about 6 or 7 on a 1-10 knob).
- Remove the mozzarella pearls from the freezer. Drop each in quickly, a few at a time and cook until they are cripsy (or about 1 minute).
- You may run into an issue where your cheese is starting to ooze out of the breading. That's ok - it happens! If this happens to you, make sure the oozy-cheese side is facing up in the oil and then also facing up on the plate. Gravity will keep your cheese inside its shell ;) If you place it upside down at any point while it is still extremely hot, it will fall out of the shell.
- Transfer cooked mozzarella pearls to a plate with a piece of paper towl on it to soak up any extra oil. Repeat the cooking process until all the pearls are cooked.
- Let the pearls cool for 4-5 minutes before serving.
- Pour your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce into a side dish and serve. Enjoy your gluten free mozzarella bites!
The Only Way to a Perfect Recipe Is to Tweak It
If you follow my recipes, you will know that I always love to hear about it if you end up making my recipe. Did you like it? How did it turn out? What did you do differently? Leave me a comment or send me some kind of message about your experience as the only way to make a great recipe is to keep tweaking it!
Thanks for reading - have a great day!
