Mozzarella Stick Grilled Cheese (Printable Version)

Crispy mozzarella sticks and gooey cheese layered in toasted bread, served with savory marinara dipping sauce.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 4 slices mozzarella cheese
02 - 4 mozzarella sticks, frozen or homemade
03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

→ Bread

04 - 4 slices thick white bread or sourdough bread

→ Pantry

05 - 1/2 cup marinara sauce, for serving
06 - Salt and pepper, to taste

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange mozzarella sticks on a baking sheet and bake as directed on packaging, typically 8–10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
02 - While the mozzarella sticks bake, spread softened butter evenly on one side of each slice of bread.
03 - Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lay two bread slices, buttered side facing down, on the skillet. Top each with two slices of mozzarella cheese.
04 - Once mozzarella sticks are crisp, immediately place two hot sticks on top of the cheese on each sandwich. Add a light sprinkle of salt and pepper, as desired.
05 - Position the remaining bread slices over each sandwich, buttered side outward.
06 - Cook sandwiches for 2–3 minutes per side, gently pressing, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.
07 - Transfer sandwiches from skillet and let rest for 1–2 minutes before slicing in half.
08 - Serve immediately alongside warm marinara sauce for dipping.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Uses only a handful of ingredients you likely already have
  • Ready in under twenty five minutes from start to finish
  • Perfect for kids and adults with crowd pleasing gooey cheese
  • Fun interactive meal when served with a sauce for dipping
  • No deep frying required for that mozzarella stick crunch
02 -
  • High in protein and calcium for a vegetarian main
  • Incredibly freezer friendly at every stage
  • Gets extra crispy without any deep frying
03 -
  • Use lower heat than you think for the skillet because this keeps the bread golden instead of burnt while the cheese inside melts thoroughly Press down gently for even browning but avoid smashing the filling
  • For extra flavor rub a garlic clove on the toasted bread as soon as you remove it from the pan I once skipped preheating the oven for the mozzarella sticks and ended up with cheese leaks so always follow instructions there
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