Yes, I know that it is sort of a stretch to compare eggplant to bread. Once it’s covered in cheese I can say with certainty that you won’t miss the gluten. Especially when it comes to this keto spin on traditional garlic and herb monkey bread!
Dig in to melty mozzarella cheese that encases each piece of cubed eggplant, and holds it together in a golden brown shell. The outside stays soft due to the texture and water content of the eggplant, but you will get a little crust on the edge and bottom of the monkey bread. The inside is cheesy and buttery with a hint of garlic. I absolutely love the simple flavors of garlic and basil paired with mozzarella, but feel free to add in whatever dried herbs suit your taste.
I have never tried this in a full size bundt pan, so I’m not sure if that would work. If you don’t have mini bundt pans then you could substitute with over-sized muffin tins. Just remember to adjust for serving size.
You could serve this with low carb ranch dressing or a low carb marinara but it’s delicious on it’s own!
Yields 3 servings of Garlic and Herb Monkey “Bread”
The Preparation
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 458 grams baby eggplant, ends removed and cubed
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
The Execution
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine the garlic powder and dried basil and add to melted butter.
2. Layer 7-10 cubes of eggplant in the bottom of each mini bundt pan.
3. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese over each layer of eggplant and drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of the butter garlic mixture. Don’t worry about being precise as it will all bake together!
4. Follow with another layer of eggplant, then cheese, and any remaining garlic butter.
5. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is brown.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm with low-carb marinara sauce!
This makes a total of 3 servings of Garlic and Herb Monkey "Bread". Each serving comes out to be 209 calories, 14.3g fats, 10.8g net carbs, and 7.8g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 1 teaspoon garlic powder | 10 | 0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 2 | 0.5 |
| 1/4 teaspoon dried basil | 1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 2 tablespoon butter | 203 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 458 gram baby eggplant | 160 | 1.1 | 40 | 11.5 | 28.5 | 3.8 |
| 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese | 252 | 18.8 | 1.8 | 0 | 1.8 | 18.6 |
| Totals | 627 | 42.9 | 44.3 | 11.8 | 32.4 | 23.2 |
| Per Serving (/3) | 209 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 3.9 | 10.8 | 7.7 |
Garlic and Herb Monkey "Bread"
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 458 gram baby eggplant ends removed and cubed
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375F. Combine the garlic powder and dried basil and add to melted butter.
- Layer 7-10 cubes of eggplant in the bottom of each mini bundt pan.
- Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese over each layer of eggplant and drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of the butter garlic mixture. Don’t worry about being precise as it will all bake together!
- Follow with another layer of eggplant, then cheese, and any remaining garlic butter.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm with low-carb marinara sauce!
Calling this bread isn’t that much of a stretch. The best way to describe food is always to compare it to something that we’re familiar with. In this case, money bread is the closest option, even if it is a slightly odd one.
Thank you Vince!
Calling this bread isn’t that much of a stretch. The best way to describe food is always to compare it to something that we’re familiar with. In this case, money bread is the closest option, even if it is a slightly odd one.
is it possible to sub the eggplant with something else?
Cubed keto pizza dough might work. I’m not sure about other vegetables – eggplant can absorb and most of the others will release a lot of water. Cubed chicken or steak maybe?
I think you left out what to do with the fresh basil. That being said, I just had my first serving–thank you, it was delicious!
Is this freezer friendly do you think?
I think so but I haven’t tested it out yet. 🙂
I made this today, with my usual mucking-with-the-recipe. Instead of garlic powder I used chopped fresh garlic, and tossed it into the microwave with the butter to mellow it out. Since I had an abundance I also used fresh basil only.
Delicious!
Just made this and it is so tasty! But didn’t know what to do with fresh basil so I just topped it at the end
Wonder if I could do this with Turnips
I haven’t tried this myself, but I bet it would turn out just fine.