I have another food memory for you. Pan fried mozzarella moons. I used to order them at my favorite restaurant. You don't see them too often on restaurant menus. In fact, I've never seen them except at this one place I used to go in the summer. It's the same restaurant that inspired my Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip recipe. Pan fried mozzarella moons are such a happy food memory. It's fried, cheesy and the red sauce and fresh basil put it over the top.
Restaurants serve many purposes in life. It's an outing, an adventure, a social experience. There are sounds and smells and flavors. It can be a place you go to grab a few appetizers or a full dinner. I was in a snacking phase back when I frequented this particular hot spot. And this restaurant delivered, in my opinion, the absolute best appetizers in town.
ANYONE can throw frozen mozzarella sticks - from a bag of 100 frozen mozzarella sticks - into a vat of oil. ANYONE can open a jar of factory-made red sauce. There is no skill there. No effort. And hey, I get it, we all take short cuts and use the jarred stuff. I do it too. However, there are times when you need the real thing.
mission begins!
Real, Pan Fried Mozzarella is a Cheese Lovers Delight
My old, favorite stomping ground had a special vibe. The staff was welcoming, the ambiance was dim-lit with hipster music, comfortable bar stools and house made bread so good it will make you cry. The coolest bartender in town stood ready to shake, stir, pour and delight with tennis match-like repartee bandying about in every direction. My chocolate martini phase was in full swing back then and I would get drunk on just one of them. Never could handle my liquor.
The bread so good it will make you cry and the best pan fried mozzarella were my summer go-to. This was real-deal, made-to-order (as if I need to state that) fried mozzarella moons with house made, chunky tomato sauce and fresh basil. I didn't know such a culinary pleasure existed until the moment of that first bite. Frozen mozzarella sticks were so clearly in my rear-view mirror I couldn't believe I ever ate them.
And over time, I learned just how easy it is to make the best pan fried mozzarella. It's not that hard to do and it's such a delicious snack that everyone will love. So why not make the effort? And when I say effort: buy fresh mozzarella, prep a breading station (egg, flour, bread crumbs) and fry some cheese. Dang, it's not that hard!
Essential Accoutrements for the Best Result
If you're making pan fried mozzarella you will need two essential toppings. Red sauce and fresh basil. You can use your favorite jarred marinara - I get it, I get it. A compelling argument can be made for Rao's fantastic marinara sauce and several other jarred options as well.
However, if you're a fan of my blog (I know I have a fan out there somewhere), you know that I have a fabulous homemade Big Batch Spaghetti Sauce recipe. And if you're a superfan, you've actually made it! Normally, I would use a marinara sauce for fried mozzarella, but my homemade spaghetti sauce tastes really great with these. And bonus: I always have that on hand in my freezer so whipping up this pan fried mozzarella is a breeze!
I hope you give this one a try and that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! It's great to serve a crowd and there will not be one crumb left! Enjoy!
Make Now. Eat Now. Freeze the Leftovers for Later.
By the way, you can FREEZE THESE!!! If you're making them just for two, don't worry about it. I wrapped my leftovers in packs of four and FROZE them. Simply defrost overnight in the fridge when you're ready for more and reheat in your toaster oven at 350 degrees until they're ready. I do place a piece of foil over them (not wrapped, just place on top so they don't burn). Remove the foil in the last few minutes to get them crispy again.
Looking for More Snacky, Appetizery Treats? I Get it:
- Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers
- Cute, Little Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins
- Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup
- The Best Crispy Smashed Potatoes w/All the Fixin's
- Fancy French Fries w/Garlic, Butter & Parmesan
- Delicious, Crispy Thai Pork Toast
- Holiday Appetizers: Phyllo Cups Five Ways
- Honey Butter Bourbon Shrimp
The Best Pan Fried Mozzarella
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 28 pieces 1x
Description
You’ll never eat frozen mozzarella sticks again. This is the best pan fried mozzarella recipe! So insanely delicious and easy to make. Top with red sauce and fresh basil.
Ingredients
- 2 16-ounce packages of pre-sliced fresh mozzarella rounds (approx. 14 slices per package)
- 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
- 10-15 fresh basil leaves (more if you want)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups of marinara or spaghetti sauce of your choice (more if you want)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Shredded or fresh grated parmesan garnish, optional
Instructions
- Set up your breading/dredging station with wide bowls for your eggs, flour and bread crumbs. The eggs: beat them well in a bowl. To the flour: add salt and garlic powder then mix together. To the bread crumbs: add Italian seasoning and shredded parmesan cheese – mix together.
- Put your pre-sliced fresh mozzarella cheese on a plate.
- Chop your fresh basil here. Once you start cooking there won’t be time for this. Stack your basil leaves on top of each other, roll them then slice them. (video shows this well)
- Heat your red sauce on low while you’re preparing the cheese. You can use my Big-Batch, Slow Cooked Spaghetti Sauce or your favorite jarred marinara here.
- Start the breading process. Here’s the order: Dip each mozzarella round in the egg, then the flour, then the egg again and finally the bread crumbs. Do this for all the mozzarella rounds and place them on a sheet pan so you’re ready to fry.
- You should be heating your oil while you’re breading all the mozzarella cheese. I used vegetable oil for this, but Canola could work too. How much oil depends on the pan size. Generally, you’ll need ¼" to ½” of oil. This is a shallow fry so the bottom of the mozzarella will be submerged in oil and will need to be turned once the bottom is browned. I do an egg finger-flick test to make sure the oil is hot. Just flick a little egg in the pan and if it sizzles the oil is ready.
- Put some paper towel down on a sheet pan so you can transfer the fried mozzarella there as you cook.
- Start frying the mozzarella rounds. You have to work quickly here as it only takes a minute or two for each side to get golden brown. Gently place the mozzarella rounds in the oil. Again, they will fry very quickly. As soon as you can see a golden brown crust forming on the bottom, it’s time to turn them over. Kitchen tongs do not work for turning the mozzarella. I used a fork and small wooden spatula and was able to turn them very quickly. Once you see cheese start to ooze out of the mozzarella round – remove them from the pan. It’s all a delicate balance but you can do it!
- Place the fried mozzarella on a paper towel lined sheet pan.
- Serve immediately. Do not let these sit on the counter for 20 minutes. The cheese will harden and not be as delicious. Serve right out of the pan with your heated red sauce and fresh basil. Garnish with fresh grated or shredded parmesan cheese (optional).
Notes
- I used two 16-ounce packages of pre-sliced fresh mozzarella. There’s about 14 slices per package. That makes 28 mozzarella rounds. Perfect for serving a crowd. If you’re just two people you can cut the recipe in half. OR – make them all and freeze them in packs of four like I did. These freeze very well. When you feel like a snack, take out a pack of four and re-heat them in your toaster oven.
- You can use a jarred marinara for this, but if you’re feeling daring, you should definitely try my Big Batch Slow Cooked Spaghetti Sauce for this. There are a lot of uses for this sauce and it’s very convenient to make a big batch and freeze it in various containers.
- I used plain panko bread crumbs for this because I find that panko is a crunchier bread crumb than plain bread crumbs. I chose to add Italian seasoning and mix myself which is a personal preference. I find that most “Italian Seasoned” bread crumbs from the store taste a little weird to me. So I like to add the seasoning myself.
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