Low Carb Eggplant Manicotti

It may seem a little odd to be writing about eggplant, but if you have ever been to Italy in the summer, chances are you have had a quick glance at one of the many street vendors selling eggplant manicotti in the shape of a shoe or a house. These delicious little breadsticks are made of eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and parsley. They are soft, chewy, and a little bit savory, with a crispy panko topping. If you buy a big enough jar of ricotta, you can make a bunch of them, freeze, and then bake them to have as a side dish for dinner!

One of the most well-known Italian dishes is the eggplant and cheese manicotti. The basic ingredients are eggplants, cheese, and ricotta. The classic Italian version usually has a small amount of mozzarella cheese on top of the eggsplants. The manicotti is filled with eggplants, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese.

The eggplant may be the most controversial vegetable in the world. In my opinion, eggplant is not a vegetable; it is part of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) that also includes potato, tomato, and bell pepper. When I was growing up, eggplant was always called “aubergine” in my household. Sometimes we called them “eggplants” too, but I think it was more because of the Latin name – ‘egg-plant’ rather than the Greek name – ‘egg-plant’.

With this delicious, low-carb Manicotti with Eggplant, Italian is back on the menu! Matt goes back to his Italian roots with this one, but uses eggplant to make a low-carb version of a typically high-carb pasta dish. Tonight, make this for your family!

Include this in your 30-Minute Meal Plan!

Because life may become busy and we don’t always have food prepared in the fridge, we’re constantly on the lookout for 30-minute dinners. When you’re searching for a break from your usual keto dinners and want to feed your non-keto family, this dish comes in useful. It’s flavorful and easy to prepare, taking less than 30 minutes from start to finish. 

Our Keto Butter Chicken, Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl, and Chicken Crust Pizza are some more excellent 30 minute dishes we like to add to our dinner rotation!

Welcome to the world of low-carb Italian cuisine.

Italian cuisine has a terrible reputation, and with good cause. We’ve tippled the portion sizes in America, turning historically basic, smaller portioned meals into high-carb, high-fat restaurant fare. Of course it’s delicious. Necessary? Certainly not! With this low-carb version of manicotti, we prove it. It’s just as tasty and satisfying, but in a more straightforward shape that’s more representative of what meals should be. Now you can savor all of the splendor of Italian cuisine once again, so dive in!

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Manicotti with Eggplant

Pasta is one of those meals that tastes great in the moment but leaves you feeling bloated afterward. All of those Italian tastes are what we truly like, so why not bring them back without the carbs? Our eggplant manicotti is the ideal method to do this, and we promise your family won’t even notice the lack of carbohydrates!

NOTE: The filling ingredient quantities in the video are not the same as the component amounts stated below. When we prepared it for the video, there was extra filling, so the ingredients listed below represent what was really used in the recipe. 

Search “– Manicotti with Eggplant” in MyFitnessPal to easily add the recipe.

Eggplant Manicotti

A low-carb version of an Italian spaghetti classic!

25-minute total time

4 person serving

232 calories per serving

15-minute prep time

Time to prepare: 10 minutes

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

• In a small mixing dish, combine all of the filling ingredients and put aside.

• Using a mandoline, cut the eggplant in half and create thin eggplant slices lengthwise. Depending on how much you’re cooking, you’ll need 12-15 slices. Remove from the equation.

• In the bottom of the casserole dish, layer 1/2 cup marinara sauce (3-4 qt). Using a spatula, spread the mixture out.

• Place a dollop of the filling on the end of an eggplant slice in your palm. Roll the eggplant and put it on top of the sauce in the casserole dish. Rep until your casserole dish is completely full. There were a total of 12 roll ups.

• Top with 1/2 cup marinara sauce and 1/4 cup extra grated Parmesan cheese.

• 15 minutes in the oven Serve right away.

• It’s best if you keep it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

• TIP: Arrange the eggplant slices on a cutting board in an equal layer and season with salt. Allow for 5-7 minutes of resting time before patting dry with a paper towel. This will prevent your final product from being overly watery.

Notes

Net Serving Size: 1/4 casserole dish Carbs: 6g

Nutritional Information

Eggplant Manicotti

Per Serving Amount

232 calories 153 calories from fat

daily value in percent*

17g26 percent fat

Carbohydrates account for 83% of the total.

2g8 percent fiber

15 g (30%) protein

* Percent Daily Values (%DV) are calculated using a 2000-calorie diet.

Chef’s Specialty: Main Dish

Cuisine:Italian

Manicotti with Eggplants is a term used to describe a dish made with eggs.

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