Pasta alla Norma is a classic of Sicilian cuisine, made with 3 ingredients and the result is superb. Below you will find the classic recipe with fried eggplants but also tips for a lighter version.
If you like eggplants, don’t forget to check out the recipe:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 477.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.85 (g) of which sugars 7.35 (g)
- Proteins 9.47 (g)
- Fat 34.28 (g) of which saturated 3.45 (g)of which unsaturated 21.90 (g)
- Fibers 5.90 (g)
- Sodium 766.87 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 5.6 oz pasta
- 7 oz tomatoes
- 1 eggplant
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 onion
- 1.06 oz salted ricotta
- 1 bunch basil
- to taste sunflower oil
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Knife
Procedure
Since this is a summer dish, I recommend using ripe tomatoes to make the sauce at home, but if you’re in a hurry, you can use ready-made sauce!
First, slice the eggplant, generously salt with coarse salt, and place in a deep dish for at least 30 minutes. The salt will remove excess water, allowing you to fry the eggplants better.
While the eggplants ‘sweat,’ bring a pot with 3-4 liters of salted water to a boil.
Take the tomato, make a crosscut on the skin and place it in hot water for 30 sec/1 min, remove the tomato, peel it, and cut it into thin cubes or chunks.
In a pan, place a couple of tablespoons of oil, with a clove of garlic in infusion to release its flavor and aroma.
When it starts to brown, remove it, add the diced onion, and sauté over low heat until it becomes almost transparent.
Add the diced tomato and basil to the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until you get a thick tomato sauce.
If you’re in a hurry, you can use directly tomato sauce flavored with onion and basil.
While the sauce cooks, it’s time to focus on the eggplants, remove the excess salt with some paper towels and cut them into cubes of about 0.5 cm so they cook evenly.
Place a pot on the stove with plenty of sunflower oil and fry the cubed eggplants. Trick: the oil should be hot (320°F) or the eggplants will be soft and greasy.
Once cooked, drain well with a strainer and place on absorbent paper.
For a lighter version, you can sauté the cubed eggplants in a non-stick pan until golden brown.
Now that the eggplants are cooked, put the salted water on the stove and cook the pasta, drain it al dente to toss it in the pan with the condiment. Add the cubed eggplants and cook for a couple of minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the eggplants in the pan, so the flavors can blend.
When the pasta is cooked and flavored, remove from the heat and complete the recipe with fresh basil leaves and a generous sprinkle of salted ricotta.
Your Pasta alla Norma is ready!
Plating tips:
Pasta alla Norma should be covered with salted ricotta, prepare the plates, decorate them, sprinkle them with ricotta, and finish with some fresh basil leaves.
Wine pairing for Pasta alla Norma:
I recommend serving this dish with an aromatic white wine. For example, an Etna Bianco, alternatively, you can opt for a Pinot Nero.
