For this month's grilled cheese recipe, I present the MOZZARELLA STICK GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH!
Is it okay for me to say I've actually outdone myself with this perfect grilled cheese recipe? Okay — pretty much any grilled cheese sandwich is perfect if you ask me. Same goes for baked mozzarella sticks. But put them together? Magic.
This grilled cheese sandwich has baked mozzarella sticks placed inside two crispy pieces of French bread fried in parsley butter. Along with the mozzarella sticks, the sandwich has marinara sauce and MORE mozzarella inside. Yeah, I went there!
Mozzarella stick grilled cheese sandwich
I've never really met a mozzarella stick or a grilled cheese that I didn't like. They're all perfect and beautiful in their own way. Just like you. 😉
This grilled cheese recipe is SPECIAL!
When you're making it, you can follow along exactly as I do, or feel free to play around with it.
Maybe you want a little extra sauce inside. Go for it! Or maybe you want to keep the sauce out and dip your sandwich into it instead. Yum!
Here's what I use for this grilled cheese recipe:
- Good quality, white crusty French bread (bought unsliced)
- Mozzarella (I recommend buying a ball of pizza mozzarella and shredding it yourself rather than buying it pre-shredded)
- Baked mozzarella sticks
- Marinara sauce
- Butter
- Dried parsley
You can definitely get creative with this recipe. But I do have a few notes that I think will help you make the best grilled cheese ever.
What’s the best bread for grilled cheese?
I like to use a loaf of unsliced crusty French bread for these sandwiches. I buy it unsliced because you can cut the bread a bit thicker than you get in a pre-sliced loaf.
Look at that rainbow reflection on the cutting board!
But your favorite bread will work too.
Sourdough grilled cheese is great, or just typical sliced white bread is perfect for a classic grilled cheese.
Really, the best bread for grilled cheese is your favorite bread! But a thicker slice is ideal for this recipe to hold up the weight of the baked mozzarella sticks inside.
Should I make homemade mozzarella sticks?
I used frozen mozzarella sticks for this recipe.
I don't have my own mozzarella sticks recipe, but if you're feeling fancy and want to make your own, I recommend this recipe from Well Plated. I've made it before and it's great!
About to go in the oven.
But the frozen variety will be just fine for this recipe. Depending on the size of the mozzarella sticks and your bread, you may use three or up to six of them in your sandwich.
I used four. Thennnnn I ate a bunch on their own!
Mozzarella stick mac and cheese
While I may not have my own mozzarella stick recipe (yet) I DO have a mozzarella stick mac and cheese recipe that's to die for!
Mozzarella stick mac and cheese combines all of the goodness of a mozzarella stick, including a layer of breadcrumbs, mozzarella, and marinara sauce, resting on top of creamy, white cheddar macaroni. Get the recipe here.
Why parsley butter?
Most baked or homemade mozzarella stick recipes are made with Italian breadcrumbs which includes parsley.
That's why I KNEW this recipe needed butter with parsley in it! It was the perfect thing to cook the bread in and I love that it adds a little texture and color to the bread.
I am all about using seasoned butter for grilled cheese sandwiches! See why here in my ten-second grilled cheese hack.
Also, last month was my first grilled cheese of the month, and I did a a garlic sage butter grilled cheese sandwich recipe that I think you'll want to try too!
Now, onto this unique sandwich that has a piece of my heart...
Mozzarella Stick Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bread I recommend good quality crusty French bread, sliced thick
- 3-6 baked mozzarella sticks*
- ¼ to ⅓ cup marinara sauce**
- 3 tablespoon butter*** melted
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Optional
- additional marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Bake the mozzarella sticks according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in the microwave. Add dried parsley and stir. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread the butter on ONE side of BOTH slices of bread (you likely won't use all of this butter***). Heat a pan or large skillet over medium heat. Arrange both of the slices buttered-side down on the pan.
- Top ONE slice of bread with the marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with a lid to help the cheese melt. Cook until the bottom of each slice of bread is toasted and golden brown and the cheese is melted, likely 5-7 minutes.
- Top the piece of bread that has the marinara and mozzarella with the baked mozzarella sticks. Place the other piece of toasted bread on top to form a sandwich. Slice, serve, and enjoy! Optional: Serve with additional marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
I'm DYING to hear what you guys think of this one! Please comment down below and let me know.
Oh, by the way, I share a lot of stuff over on Instagram that you might not catch on the blog. You can follow me here if you want!
XO - C
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