Italian is back on the menu with this delicious, low-carb Eggplant Manicotti! Matt takes it back to his Italian roots with this one, but transforms the traditionally high-carb, pasta recipe into a low-carb version using eggplant. Make this for your family tonight!
Add this to Your 30-Minute Meals Rotation!
We’re always on the hunt for 30-minute meals because life can get hectic and we don’t always have food prepped in the fridge. This recipe comes in handy when you are looking for a change-up from the boring, old keto meals and want to feed your non-keto family. It’s packed with flavor and will take you less than 30 minutes, from start to finish, to make.
Some other great 30 minute meals we like to add to our dinner rotation are our Keto Butter Chicken, Keto Egg Roll in a bowl, and Chicken Crust Pizza!
Say Hello To Low Carb Italian Food.
Italian food has a bad rap and for good reason. In America, we’ve tippled the portion sizes and taken traditionally simple, smaller portioned meals and turned them into high-carb, high-fat meals in restaurants. Delicious? Of course. Necessary? Absolutely not! We make that evident with this low-carb version of manicotti. It’s just as delicious and filling, but simpler in its form and more true to what meals should be like. You can enjoy all the glory of Italian food again, so dig in!
Eggplant Manicotti
Pasta is one of those foods that taste delicious in the moment, but weighs heavy in the belly after it’s gone. What we really love is all those Italian flavors, so why not bring back Italian food minus all the carbs? Our eggplant manicotti is the perfect way to make this happen and we guarantee your family won’t even miss the carbs!
NOTE: The ingredient amounts for the filling in the video are different from the ingredients amounts listed below. There was leftover filling when we made it for the video, therefore the ingredients below reflect what was truly used in the recipe.
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Eggplant Manicotti“
Eggplant Manicotti
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 cup marinara sauce we used Raos
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Filling
- 1 cups ricotta cheese full fat
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine all the filling ingredients a in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- Slice the eggplant in half and use a mandoline to make thin slices of eggplant lengthwise. You want about 12-15 slices depending on how much you are making. Set aside.
- Layer 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of your casserole dish (3-4 qt). Spread using a spatula.
- Take a slice of eggplant into your hand and spoon a dollop of the filling onto the end. Roll the eggplant and place in the casserole dish on top of the sauce. Repeat until your casserole dish is filled. We had 12 total roll ups.
- Top with 1/2 cup of marinara sauce and sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan (1/4 cup).
- Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
- Best stored in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- TIP: place the eggplant slices in an even layer on a cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5-7 minutes and then pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will ensure that your final product isn't too watery.
Notes
Serving Size: 1/4 casserole dish
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
I love eggplant, and I’m fairly new to Keto, but this recipe blew my socks off. Fabulous~
I also get 10-12 net carbs when inputting the ingredients manually into myfitnesspal. Any idea why?
Could you substitute cream cheese for the ricotta? I know the flavor and texture would be slightly different, but I’ve got no ricotta and am broke until next month lol!
I would argue this recipe tasted better then pasta manicotti! The eggplant gives it such a rich flavor and texture. We are so excited to finally have a great pasta substitute. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This was really good. Next time I make it though, I am going to roast the slices for a few minutes to make them tender (saw in another similar recipe) Otherwise….YUM!
When I use other nutritional calculators – this comes out to much higher net carbs. What are you using to calculate net carbs?
We use a built in calculator from the WordPress site. How much of a discrepancy are you seeing?
Would this be ok to freeze after assembling it? I wanted to make it in advance for Thanksgiving Eve and I know I will be crazy busy that day.
Thank you, Keto Connect for this awesome recipe. I made it yesterday for my family and it was delicious! Overall, an easy recipe to make, the exception is getting the eggplant thinly sliced can be tricky, but it’s doable. By the way, in this recipe you guys use BelGioioso Parmesan Grated Cheese, I was wondering if what you guys thought of this deal that I found on Webstaurant on this very product? Since you’re always looking for Keto Foods, I wondered if you think this is a good price and deal. It’s not grated, but for the price on each block of cheese, you can be grated at home. BelGioioso 8 oz. Parmesan Cheese Wedge – 12/Case for $35.99 on Webstaurant.com https://www.webstaurantstore.com/belgioioso-8-oz-parmesan-cheese-wedge-case/875775628.html
Wow, sounds like a good deal to me! Grating at home is always better, it’s fresher that way 🙂
This is a bread-less variant of Eggplant Rollatini I used to make. I wonder if your pork rind breading could work here? Also, soaking the eggplant in salty water or full-fat milk (my preference) and then really pressing them dry with towels removes any bitter notes from the eggplant.
I am not sure about the breading.
Don’t know if you have ever tried this recipe – an all time favorite that can be used in your recipe – can be made ahead. I have some of this sauce to use in your new recipe, thanks.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce
I just made this today and it turned out delicious! Thanks for the great ideas! ?
Beppo in Seattle 20 years ago AH-MAZING!
Love this recipe & your YouTube channel, keto strong 23 months woo hoo
I am making this today with zucchini. Looks awesome. I love the fat bomb book too…
Bucca portions are huge. This looks good!
Looks great. If you have a kitchen aid stand mixer, you may want to look at there vegetable sheet cutter
jonesmarsha54@gmail.com: This will have to be another favorite of mine. I also made your Butter Chicken recipe and OMG! Delicious ?
I have a giant zucchini from the garden… you think I can sub it for the eggplant? Thanks!
Hi Sophie! You most definitely can use zucchini for this. Enjoy!
I wonder how this recipe would translate as a lasagna?? all same ingredients, just prepared like a lasagna? I’ve never cooked with eggplant so I’m not sure if it would work.
LOOKS DELISH none the less !! Love Yall!
I have done this and its delish! Its actually Eggplant Parm. Use Zucchini and you get the same. Better if you have giant veggies…Zucchinis grow pretty large if left on the vine and you can find them.
I use eggplant for lasagna noodles all the time. It is fabulous. I use bolognese instead of marinara. Yum!
I just made it like a lasagna, perfecto!!
“Noodle” hack…
I found if I’m trying to get thin long “lasagna noodle” style veggies, I use a good vegetable peeler and run it down the length of the veg. Way safer and consistent than the mandolin but you don’t get as girthy of a noodle.
Thanks for the recipe. Trying it this weekend!
Looks delicious! Will need to get the eggplant. Bought extra ricotta when making your ricotta cake, which my family loved! MADE the house smell so yummy.
Thanks for sharing these recipes 🙂 also enjoying the fat bomb cookbook!
We’re so happy that you are enjoying our content! 🙂