Melted cheese encased in crispy crumbs, a weeknight take on fried cheese boards. This shelf's colby jack sticks are built for breading and frying, delivering a molten center with no extra work. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 910 calories a serving, 41 g protein, 91 g carbohydrate, 41 g fat. From USDA figures for 89% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Set up three shallow bowls: one with 1/4 cup flour, one with 1 beaten egg, and one with 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Coat each of the 6 cheese sticks lightly in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture until fully covered. Place on a plate.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes.2 min
3. Carefully place 3 breaded cheese sticks into the hot oil and fry 1 to 2 minutes per side until the coating is golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining 3 sticks.6 min
4. Warm 1 cup marinara sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while the cheese sticks cool for 2 minutes.5 min
5. Arrange the fried cheese sticks on a plate, pour the warm marinara into a dipping bowl, and serve with crusty bread on the side.

Note Swap marinara for any tomato sauce you have on hand or a simple mix of canned tomatoes with garlic and dried basil. Leftovers keep for three days in an airtight container and reheat well in a 350°F oven for five minutes. Serve alongside a green salad to balance the richness.