Pasta alla Norma (No Wine)
Bring the comfort of a Sicilian kitchen to your table with this straightforward Pasta alla Norma. It’s a hearty, vegetarian dish that relies on the natural richness of fried eggplant and tomato sauce to create a satisfying meal without any complicated ingredients.
Equipment
- large skillet or frying pan
- large pot
- colander
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 250g pasta rigatoni or penne recommended
- 1 medium eggplant cubed
- 3 large ripe tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3-4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sugar to balance acidity
- salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh basil leaves
- grated parmesan or ricotta salata for serving
- chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Prep eggplant. Salt the cubed eggplant and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels to ensure a better fry.
- Fry eggplant. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Fry eggplant until golden brown and soft. Remove and set aside on paper towels.
- Cook pasta. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Sauté aromatics. In the same pan, add a little oil if needed and sauté garlic and chili flakes over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold.
- Simmer sauce. Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Simmer for 8–10 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine. Add the eggplant and pasta to the sauce. Pour in the reserved pasta water and toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta.
- Serve. Turn off the heat, stir in fresh basil, and serve with a generous topping of grated cheese.