Today I’m going to share a recipe for low carb and keto mozzarella sticks and their trusty sidekick,
marinara sauce (And it’s going to knock your low carb socks off.)
They are much lower in carbohydrate too, because the cheese sticks are breaded with a mixture
of pork rinds and parmesan cheese. I based this mozzarella stick recipe on a good one that I
found on Baking Outside the Box. And I used my Quick Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce for the
marinara. The result is a tasty low carb appetizer with 9g net carbs, including the sauce.
So yes, mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce truly are a match made in low carb heaven.
Prep Time: 15 Cook Time: 38 Total Time: 53 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Mozzarella Sticks
8 Mozzarella String Cheese Sticks, cut in half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan sprinkle cheese
1 1/2 cups whole pork rinds
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
cooking spray
Marinara Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shallots or onions, minced
1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Swerve or equivalent granulated sweetener
Instructions
1. Cover a small or regular sized cookie sheet with parchment paper and make space for it in your
freezer.
2. Pulse pork rinds in a food processor or high powered blender until they are the consistency of
bread crumbs. Add pork rinds, parmesan cheese, and cheese stick spices to a medium sized
shallow bowl and mix well. Beat together the egg and water and add to another medium sized
shallow bowl. Cut each mozzarella stick in half.
3. Dip a cheese stick in egg wash, then roll it in crumbs. Put it back into the egg wash and back
into the crumbs. Place on the cookie sheet and repeat with remaining cheese sticks.
4. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer and chill for 2 hours. As the cheese sticks chill, you can
make up the marinara sauce.
5. Heat olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.
6. Add garlic and onions and saute for 2 minutes until softened.
7. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients to the pan and simmer, partially covered, for 30
minutes.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Turn off the heat and set aside.
9. Once the cheese sticks have chilled, preheat oven to 500 degrees F and bring the marinara
sauce back to a simmer.
10. Spray cheese sticks with cooking spray.
11. Bake cheese sticks for 6-8 minutes until the coating is browned and the cheese is melty.
12. Serve immediately with marinara sauce.
Nutrition
Serving Size: 4 cheese sticks plus 3 tablespoons marinara sauceCalories: 335Fat: 24Carbohydrates: 11Fiber: 2Protein: 25