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.

The Preparation

• 2 baby eggplants, ends removed and cubed
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 3 mini Bundt pans

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!

Notes

If you do not have mini bundt pans, try this using muffin tins. For serving size and macro calculation, take the totals from the table below and dived them by the total number of muffin wells you fill for exact servings.