Broaden Your Horizons And Dip Mozzarella Sticks In Different Sauces

Mozzarella sticks. You love them, I love them, and the world at large is a better place because they exist. The simplistic nature of a stick of fried cheese makes it almost surprising just how perfect an appetizer or snack a handful of mozzarella sticks can be and ultimately is for countless people.

However, we need to talk about mozzarella sticks' infamous partner-in-crime, marinara sauce. While we here at The Takeout aren't afraid to admit that mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce are a near-perfect pair, we also believe that the red sauce might be holding the fried cheese back from realizing its true potential. While Albany, New York, already has their handpicked alternative to marinara in the form of their signature melba sauce, the rest of the world needs to begin experimenting with different sauces and dressings to see if marinara is truly what's best for our beloved breaded cheese. Whether it's ranch dressing or BBQ sauce, you'll never know what the ideal pairing with mozzarella sticks until you try some out.

As for taste, mozzarella sticks' versatility makes it hard to go wrong when figuring out which sauces to pair them with. In fact, it's likely easier to analyze what sauces won't work with the appetizer. As most good mozzarella sticks have strong structural integrity, many — including myself — would suggest you steer clear of thinner, more watery sauces that would likely make them soggy. If something can support thicker sauce, why not take advantage of that?

Beyond that, we can look at another fried appetizer to gather some ideas. Toasted ravioli is a classic Midwestern appetizer that also consists of fried cheese. While these fried squares are sometimes paired with marinara sauce, they are typically associated with ranch dressing or buffalo sauce around my neck of the woods. Because of their similar properties to mozzarella sticks, it's no surprise that those sauces also work on the tried-and-true appetizer.

When we say you can pair them mozza sticks with countless different sauces, we truly mean it. Chili sauce is a favorite of mine, albeit not a particularly common one to find at smaller restaurants. Alternatively, dipping the sticks in BBQ sauce is not my cup of tea, but many people I know have sworn by the combination, so who am I to judge? In the end, it all comes down to preference, and even if you end up circling back to using your favorite marinara sauce, experimenting with different sauces for your mozzarella sticks is a journey we believe is worth taking.