Pasta alla Norma is one of those Italian dishes that’s so easy to make and that just tastes good. The best part about it, in my opinion, is the eggplant. I’ve come to love this fruit and having it fried up in olive oil and served in a pasta dish is just about perfect. I’ll tell you upfront though, pasta alla Norma is traditionally tossed with tomato sauce and coarsely chopped eggplant. I sliced my eggplant and didn’t toss anything. I prefer some separation between ingredients, so if you look at the photos below and they don’t match many of the others you’ll find, this is the reason. Either way, it’s an excellent dish. I’m certain the Sicilians wouldn’t argue with me for not tossing the ingredients. Also, here’s a fun fact: pasta alla Norma used to be called pasta con le melanzane, which translates into “pasta with eggplant” in English. It’s rooted in the culture of Catania, which is the easternmost city of Sicily.
The Recipe
You can use any type of pasta you’d like for this dish. I’ve seen it with rigatoni, spaghetti, linguini, and penne. I used penne because I prefer tubular pasta. I actually like rigatoni more than penne, but penne was on my mind.
The dish calls for just a few ingredients beyond the sauce; pasta, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggplant, and seasonings. It’s a simple, yet tasty combination. I’ll link to my famous tomato sauce down below.
Also, I’d like to thank Carlo Bernasconi and Christian Teubner for this recipe. I pulled it from The Complete Italian Cookbook and it’s just as good as all the others I’ve so far found of theirs.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 Pound Pasta of Choice
1 Medium Sized Eggplant, Sliced into ¾” Rounds
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Handful Fresh Basil or Parsley, Chopped
¾ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese for Topping
Tomato Sauce (Recipe)
Make the Tomato Sauce
Please follow the tomato sauce recipe I linked to. It’s a simple recipe that doesn’t call for too many ingredients, but is excellent. It’s a quintessential tomato sauce that’s as classic as classic can be. I’ve been using it for years and I’d say it’s just about perfect.
Fry the Eggplant
You can do this a few different ways. You can slice the eggplant into rounds and leave as is or slice it into rounds and then cut each round into smaller pieces. The next time I prepare this dish, I’ll cut the rounds into smaller pieces. That way, I’ll be able to fry all of them at the same time while stirring occasionally. When cut into just rounds, they take up too much room in the pan and I need to do them in batches. Either way, use the olive oil to coat the eggplant and fry them in a skillet over medium heat until browned.
Cook the Pasta
Bring a large salted (1 tablespoon of salt) pot of water to a boil on your stovetop. When boiling, add the pasta to the water and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. When done, drain the pasta in a colander and return it to the pot.
Combine Ingredients, Plate, & Enjoy
Add the sauce and the eggplant to the pasta in the pot and gently stir everything together. Divide between plates, top with basil or parsley and Parmesan and then serve. Enjoy!
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