Pasta alla Norma is a standard Sicilian pasta dish made with a flavorful tomato sauce and eggplant. Learn to make it with this simple recipe!
Eggplant lovers, this pasta alla Norma recipe is for you! Eggplant skeptics, I believe you’ll truly get behind this Sicilian pasta too. It stars a garlicky tomato sauce full of tender eggplant slices. The eggplant virtually melts into the sauce, thickening it and including wealthy taste. I spherical it out with ricotta salata cheese and a bathe of recent basil.
Pasta alla Norma is a basic Italian pasta dish that originated in Sicily, within the metropolis of Catania. My recipe has conventional flavors, that includes a tomato sauce with eggplant, ricotta salata, and basil, however I roast the eggplant as a substitute of frying it. I believe roasting is simpler—it’s completely hands-off, leaving you free to prepare dinner the pasta and begin the tomato sauce. I additionally love that the eggplant caramelizes within the oven with much less oil than you’d use on the stovetop.
This pasta alla Norma recipe is likely one of the eggplant recipes I make each summer season, together with eggplant Parmesan, caponata, ratatouille… Like all these dishes, it’s a scrumptious, basic approach to make use of eggplant whereas it’s in season. I hope you like it as a lot as I do!
Pasta Alla Norma Substances
Right here’s what you’ll must make this pasta alla Norma recipe:
- Eggplant, after all! I sometimes use Italian globe eggplants or graffiti eggplants on this recipe. I don’t peel the eggplant, so I like that these varieties have a better ratio of flesh to pores and skin than, say, Japanese eggplants do. Search for ones with taut skins that really feel heavy for his or her dimension.
- Further-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Canned entire peeled tomatoes – They make up the bottom of the sauce. I crush them with my palms earlier than cooking—I really like the irregular, pure texture. In a pinch, use canned crushed tomatoes in its place.
- Tomato paste – It thickens the canned tomatoes and provides concentrated, umami taste.
- Garlic, dried oregano, and purple pepper flakes – They add fragrant depth of taste to the sauce. For those who’re delicate to spice, be happy to skip or scale back the purple pepper flakes.
- Ricotta salata – This isn’t the identical ricotta you’d use in lasagna. Ricotta salata is a firmer aged cheese with a salty, funky chew. It’s the basic alternative for pasta alla Norma, however if you happen to can’t discover it, pecorino Romano is an effective substitute. In a pinch, Parmesan works too.
- Rigatoni or ziti pasta – I really like how these tube-shaped pastas seize the thick eggplant sauce, however you can use nearly any kind of pasta you want. I’ve had nice outcomes with lengthy shapes like spaghetti and linguine!
- Recent basil leaves – For freshness. Recent parsley, thyme, or oregano are additionally scrumptious.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
Easy methods to Make Pasta Alla Norma
This pasta alla Norma recipe has 4 easy steps:
1. Begin by roasting the eggplant. Slice it into skinny half-moons, season it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425°F till tender and browned, 25 to 35 minutes.
2. Cook dinner the pasta in a big pot of salted boiling water till al dente. I wish to time this with simmering the sauce in order that I don’t want to empty the pasta. See the ideas beneath!
3. Simmer the sauce. Sizzle the garlic, oregano, and purple pepper flakes in a big skillet, then stir within the tomato paste and add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, or till the sauce thickens barely.
4. Combine all of it collectively. Use a spider or slotted spoon to switch the pasta from the pot to the skillet with the sauce. Stir to coat, then add the eggplant, adopted by 1/2 cup ricotta salata. Stir till the cheese melts, including pasta water as wanted to assist it alongside.
Season to style and serve!
Recipe Suggestions
- Time cooking the pasta with simmering the sauce. My #1 tip for constructing a pasta sauce with easy substances is to add the pasta immediately from the pot. That approach, it’s evenly coated in pasta cooking water, which seasons the sauce and provides starches that assist the sauce coat the pasta. This works greatest when your sauce is prepared on the identical time your pasta is al dente. Be sure to prep the sauce substances earlier than you drop the pasta, then simmer the sauce whereas it cooks.
- Add pasta water to assist the cheese soften. If the ricotta salata isn’t melting easily into the sauce, you may add pasta water, a bit of at a time, to heat the cheese and assist it loosen into the sauce. Sprinkling the cheese evenly over the pasta (vs including it in a single massive pile) helps too.
- Get forward. Wish to streamline this recipe? Be happy to prepare dinner the eggplant as much as 3 days forward and retailer it within the fridge till you’re able to make the sauce. You may make the total sauce upfront too. It retains nicely within the fridge for as much as 3 days and freezes nicely for as much as 3 months.
Extra Eggplant Recipes to Strive
For those who love this pasta alla Norma, strive one among these scrumptious eggplant recipes subsequent:
Pasta alla Norma
Serves 4
Pasta alla Norma is a basic Italian pasta dish that comes from Sicily. It is tossed in a wealthy, flavorful tomato sauce with eggplant and ricotta salata cheese. On this recipe, I roast the eggplant as a substitute of frying it for simpler prep. It is a scrumptious, satisfying vegetarian dinner!
Stop your display from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two giant baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Place the tomatoes and their juices in a big bowl and use your palms to crush them. Put aside.
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Halve the eggplants lengthwise, then minimize every half into ¼- to ½-inch-thick half-moons. Minimize any very giant half-moons in half to kind wedges.
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Divide the eggplant between the 2 baking sheets. Drizzle every sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (4 tablespoons complete) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and unfold evenly on the baking sheets. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, or till tender and evenly browned.
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Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in response to the package deal directions, cooking till al dente.
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In the meantime, warmth the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add the garlic, oregano, and purple pepper flakes and sizzle for 30 seconds. Stir within the tomato paste, then add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and several other grinds of pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, or till barely thickened.
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When the pasta is al dente, use a spider or slotted spoon to switch it from the pot to the skillet with the sauce. Add the roasted eggplant and stir to coat. Add the cheese and stir till melted, including pasta water as wanted to assist it soften into the sauce.
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Season to style and serve topped with basil and extra cheese, if desired.
