Baked Cheese Curds
Who doesn’t love fried cheese? After all, what’s not to love… cheesy deep fried goodness always sounds good to me!
Problem is, if you’re like me, you’re thinking, “Those are going to be a calorie bomb for sure! I can’t eat something like that and actually feel good about myself…”
The solution: BAKED cheese curds 🙂
Give these baked cheese curds a try, they will not disappoint. They have the same flavor and cheesiness of the fried cheese we know and love, but without the heaviness of the deep fried breading. They’ll leave you feeling happy and satisfied without any of the guilt – and I’m all for that!
I always say that you should enjoy what you do and – more importantly – you should enjoy what you eat! It’s all about moderation and finding things that you love that feel like a treat or something “bad” (without actually being bad, of course).
Make good choices, work hard and try new things and everything else will fall into place.
Pair these with a great dipping sauce like marinara and you’ll have a delicious snack.
Tip: You can really change up the flavors in these by using different types of cheese. I used Gouda for this recipe and it cooked up perfectly. Also if you have a problem with gluten, you can substitute gluten free breadcrumbs and flour.
Baked Cheese Curds Ingredients:
4 cheese sticks (I used Gouda)
1 egg white
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
cooking spray
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- First cut the cheese sticks into bite size pieces, usually about 6-7 pieces per stick.
- Next, you’ll want to build an assembly line of three bowls: first one – 1 tbsp. all purpose flour, second bowl – 1 egg white beaten, and in the third bowl – breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano and seasoning salt (whisked together).
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray, then place at the end of the assembly line.
- Take one cheese curd and coat in flour, dip in egg white and then coat in breadcrumb mixture (make sure to press mixture into the cheese to fully coat).
- Place on baking sheet and repeat until all cheese curds are used and ready to put in the oven.
- Place tray in the oven for about 4 minutes, making sure to watch them closely as the cheese will melt pretty fast.
- Once they are cooked to your liking, take out of the oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Nutritional Information:
Servings: approx. 4
Serving Size: approx. 6 cheese curds
Calories: 130
Fat: 7 g
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Protein: 9 g
