Italian Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
Learn to cook pasta alla Norma, a classic Sicilian dish loaded with fresh eggplant and salty ricotta salata cheese. I'll teach you tips and tricks from Italian culinary school to keep this dish authentic.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 524kcal
Equipment
- saucepan
- immersion blender (or regular blender)
- saute pan
Ingredients
Simple Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup finely diced carrots
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 56 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes
- finely ground black pepper to taste
- Morton kosher salt to taste
Pasta alla Norma
- coarse sea salt for boiling
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1.2 pounds eggplant cut into ½ inch or 1 cm cubes (about 1 large eggplant or 5 cups)
- Morton kosher salt to taste
- 1 pound dried rigatoni pasta
- finely ground black pepper to taste
- 8 ounces ricotta salata coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
- basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For Simple Tomato Sauce
- Add extra virgin olive oil, carrots, and onions to a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook until softened.
- Crush the canned tomatoes with your hands directly into the saucepan. Add in any leftover tomato juice still in the can to the saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes until the flavors marry together. Stir occasionally to ensure the bottom doesn't burn. If you notice the sauce bubbling too intensely, turn down the heat slightly.
- Once cooked down, taste and season with black pepper and Morton kosher salt to taste. Puree with an immersion blender or in the container of a blender until the sauce is smooth.
For Pasta alla Norma
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat, and season generously with coarse salt.
- Heat ½ cup (100 grams) extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add half of the eggplant, and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with Morton kosher salt. Set aside. Add the remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) extra virgin olive oil and eggplant to the pan, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, and season with Morton kosher salt.
- Add the eggplant to the simple tomato sauce, and cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the rigatoni pasta to the boiling water, and cook until al dente (still very firm).
- Transfer al dente pasta to the tomato sauce, and stir vigorously on high heat until the pasta has slightly softened (it should still have a bite) and the sauce slightly thickens.
- Taste and add additional Morton kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Plate and garnish with ricotta salata and optionally basil.
Notes
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove over medium high heat until warmed through.
It's really important to use enough salt and pepper to ensure the dish is properly seasoned.
Can't find ricotta salata? No problem! Substitute for pecorino or parmesan cheese.
If you'd prefer, you can peel the eggplant.
To make simple tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, first blanch the fresh tomatoes. Here's how:
- Boil a large pot of water over high heat.
- Score the bottom of each tomato with a small "X". I like to use a pairing knife for this.
- Add a small amount of tomatoes to the boiling water and cook for 30–90 seconds until you start to see the skins split open.
- Finally, remove them from the boiling water, and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Then, you can peel the skin, and use the tomatoes in the simple tomato sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 705mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1042IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 3mg
