Why String Cheese Actually Makes For A Great Midnight Snack

It's late at night, but your stomach's grumbling. It's time for a midnight snack. But what do you reach for? May we suggest opening the fridge and grabbing a mozzarella string cheese stick to enjoy late into the night? Before you shake your head and reach for toast or your go-to spicy instant ramen instead, you should know why string cheese actually makes for a great midnight snack.

Firstly, each part-skim mozzarella cheese stick, despite containing only approximately 100 calories, packs about seven grams of protein. Nibbling away at the string cheese will help you feel satisfied and full, thanks to that satiating protein content. Just one cheese stick may keep you from further raiding the pantry or the fridge for more snacks. Additionally, string cheese sticks are low in sugar content. Sugary foods keep one energized and awake instead of ready to sleep at midnight, but a cheese stick will likely have the opposite effect.

Of course, if enjoying plain string cheese as a midnight snack does not sound that appetizing to you, we have some ideas on how to pair it with other foods to spruce it up a bit. Let's say you're still craving that instant ramen. You can stick the cheese stick into the hot broth, and as the cheese melts, it'll make the noodles creamy and cheesy. That's one idea, but don't worry, we have some others.

If a cheesy instant ramen sounds too filling for a proper midnight snack, try this hack instead. Flatten a slice of white bread with a rolling pin, then wrap it around your string cheese. Pop that into a toaster oven for a few minutes so that the toast will get nice and crispy — and the cheese a little melty. You just hacked your way to a single-serve gooey string mozzarella stick without having to use the fryer or a whole lot of cooking oil.

Here's another midnight snack idea you can try with cheese sticks. Instead of wrapping the string cheese with a slice of bread, try wrapping it with a slice of ham, prosciutto, or salami, like something you may see on a charcuterie board. This will make the late-night snack even more filling as you pack on some additional protein.

If these ideas still don't appeal to you, you can make a mini cheese plate or charcuterie board for one using cut-up cheese sticks. While the cheese board doesn't have to be fancy for a midnight snack, do still be sure to check out our 12 tips for putting together the ultimate cheese board.