Pasta Alla Norma | Sicilian Eggplant Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • Pasta of your choice - 250 gms
  • Red tomatoes - 4 to 5, large
  • Eggplant/aubergine - 1, large
  • Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves, grated or minced
  • Extra virgin olive oil - 4-6 tbsp
  • Parmesan cheese - 100 gms (about 1 cup), grated
  • Dried oregano - 1 tsp
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
  1. Boil water with a generous amount of salt in a large pot. When the water comes to full boil, add pasta and cook them till al-dente.*
  2. Once pasta is cooked till al dente, drain the pasta after reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water. Set the pasta aside until needed.
  3. Peel the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces. Remove the seeds as much as possible. Set them aside.
  4. Trim out the green stem of the eggplant and then peel it in a striped pattern lengthwise. Now cut the eggplant either in round slices or in 2-inch long strips that are about 1-inch thick.
  5. Heat a heavy bottomed sauté pan and add half of the extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the eggplant pieces and fry them on medium heat.
  6. Fry the eggplant until they soften and turn golden brown in color on all sides. Lightly season the eggplant pieces with salt before taking them out of the pan. Set them aside.
  7. In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, add the remaining olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the minced garlic.
  8. Sauté the garlic for a minute until they become fragrant. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
  9. Cook the tomatoes on medium-low flame until they soften and become mushy. This would take about 20 to 25 minutes.
  10. Season the tomato sauce with dried oregano, salt & black pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes until all the flavors are mingled together.
  11. Now add the fried eggplant to the prepared tomato sauce. Give a good mix so that eggplant pieces are nicely combined with the tomato sauce.
  12. It’s time to add the cooked pasta. Stir well to evenly mix the pasta with the tomato sauce & fried eggplant.
  13. Add half of the grated parmesan cheese and give a good mix using a spatula. If the sauce has turned too thick, drizzle half of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
  14. Once combined well, add the remaining grated cheese and give a final mix. Your pasta alla norma is ready to serve!
  15. Serve your Sicilian eggplant pasta into individual bowls and garnish with fresh basil leaves! Enjoy!
Notes
Pro tip: Ideal cooking time for your choice of pasta will be mentioned on the pasta packet. Please do follow the packet instructions.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2024/09/pasta-alla-norma-recipe/