Pasta alla Norma (Sicilian Eggplant Pasta)
Pasta alla Norma holds a special place in my heart. Its a Sicilian eggplant pasta with a rich tomato sauce and golden pieces of eggplant that literally melt in your mouth…yum!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 590kcal
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Ingredients
- 23oz / 660g Italian eggplants - approx 2 medium eggplants
- 30oz / 850g canned peeled tomatoes
- 2 large garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 12oz / 340g short pasta - I’ve used casarecce
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup ricotta salata cheese - grated
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant into bite sized cubes. *Optional for garnish, separately slice a few thin strips of the eggplantPlace the cubed eggplants into a colander with a plate underneath. Sprinkle them well with salt, toss and allow them to stand on the side for about 15-20 minutes
- After 15 minutes, they should be quite wet. Pat dry the eggplants to remove the excess water and salt
- In the meantime, whilst waiting for the eggplants, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pot or saucepan with the garlic cloves
- Once garlic is lightly golden, add the canned tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoonSeason well with salt, tear in the basil leaves and allow it to simmer on a low-medium heat with the lid on for 20 minutes
- Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan and add some of the eggplants to work in batches. Fry them for a few minutes on each side until golden brown
- Remove the fried eggplants and place on a plate lined with paper towels to remove the excess oil. Repeat the above step for the remaining eggplant pieces
- Take the sauce pan off the heat and using an immersion blender or standard blender, blend until smooth
- Add half of the fried eggplants to the sauce, stir through and allow it to simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes with lid on
- Whilst the sauce is simmering, boil the pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water. Ensure to cook it 80% of the way as al dente, being 2 minutes under the package instructions and save some of the pasta cooking water
- Add cooked pasta straight to the sauce with a splash of pasta water and the remaining eggplant pieces - save some for garnishCook for 2 minutes altogether in the pan and it's ready! Serve up your delicious Pasta all Norma in bowls, garnish with the reserved eggplant pieces and a good sprinkle of ricotta salata cheese and enjoy!!
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Nutrition
Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 996mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 4mg