A simple and flavourful pasta – pasta alla norma is a classic Sicilian dish that pairs golden fried eggplant with the fresh flavours of tomatoes and basil for a tasty and nutritious dinner!
Pasta alla Norma perfectly captures the simple but robust essence of Sicilian cooking. A traditional dish of Sicily – the city of Catania in particular – Pasta alla Norma got its current name from the Vincenzo Bellini opera Norma. The story goes that after tasting this dish the Italian writer Nino Martoglio exclaimed that it was as good as Bellini’s masterpiece Norma and the name has stuck ever since. Packed with typical Mediterranean ingredients this dish is easy to make and is sure to become a favourite!
Ingredient Notes
Eggplant: Hearty pieces of golden-brown fried eggplant provide substance to this simple, flavourful pasta. The key to this recipe is to make sure you salt the eggplant. Eggplant can sometimes have a bitter flavour. Salting the eggplant draws moisture and the bitterness out of them ensuring that the fried eggplant have a mild and slightly sweet flavour.
Olive oil: A generous amount of extra virgin olive oil is needed to both fry the eggplant and for the sauce.
Pasta: The typical pasta shape for Pasta alla Norma is rigatoni or other tube-shaped pasta. One of my favorite pasta shapes is casarecce which look like little scrolls. Casarecce pasta is originally from Sicily making it perfect for this dish. If you can’t find casarecce pasta, then rigatoni, penne, or ziti would make excellent substitutes.
San Marzano Tomatoes: My favourite canned tomatoes are San Marzano whole plum tomatoes. San Marzano is both a region in Italy as well as a type of plum tomato renowned for its intense and sweet flavour. However, they are more expensive than regular canned tomatoes. If desired, you can use a can of whole plum tomatoes instead of the San Marzano’s, or to save time, a can of crushed tomatoes.
Garlic: The flavours of the dish are simple but intense. Be sure to use fresh garlic and lots of it!
Basil: It is worth it get fresh basil for this dish. However, you can use dried basil in a pinch.
Cheese: Pasta alla Norma is traditionally topped with grated ricotta salata cheese which is a salted, pressed, and aged type of ricotta cheese. It has a firm, crumbly texture with a salty flavour, however, it can be difficult to source outside of Italy. I have not come across it yet in my city. If you can find it, then by all means use it! Otherwise, the good news is there are plenty of substitutes. My favourite cheese to use instead is pecorino romano, a hard sheep’s milk cheese that is not quite as sharp as parmesan. Other suggestions I have seen are feta cheese or even Parmigiano-Reggiano.
How to Make Pasta alla Norma
The first step in making Pasta alla Norma is to salt the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into half inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt – toss and sprinkle to ensure the eggplant is salted on all sides. Don’t worry, the eggplant won’t be too salty. Line a baking sheet with a couple layers of paper towel. Spread the eggplant cubes over the paper towel to form a single layer. Let sit at room temperature for a minimum of half an hour or for up to an hour. After it sits, pat the eggplant pieces down with paper towel to absorb as much of the moisture as possible.
While the eggplant is sitting begin to make the sauce. Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes to a food processor and pulse several times until they are almost completely broken up. In a wide skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes, if using. Sauté the garlic stirring constantly for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Be careful not to brown the garlic or it can become bitter.
When the garlic is fragrant, carefully pour the blended tomatoes into the skillet. Be sure to stand back from the pan as the oil can sputter when adding the tomato purée. Add a pinch of sugar and some kosher salt to the sauce, stir, and then turn down the heat to medium low. Cover with a lid and cook slowly over low heat. Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.
To fry the eggplant, add a half inch layer of extra virgin olive oil to a side, deep skillet and heat over medium high heat. It is best to fry the eggplant in 3 or 4 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Add some of the eggplant cubes to the hot olive oil to form a single layer in the pan. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the eggplant pieces are golden brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried eggplant to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the eggplant is fried.
When the water is boiling, add a good amount of salt. Taste the water to make sure it is nicely seasoned and not too salty. Add the casarecce pasta and cook according to package directions – stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Check the sauce – add more kosher salt if necessary. I find that the simplicity of this sauce calls for a good amount of salt. If you’re worried about over-salting, then add a little bit and taste before adding more. Tasting your sauce is the best way to know how much more to add!
Just before the pasta is done, add some fresh chopped basil to the sauce and stir in the eggplant. Scoop the casarecce pasta from the water with a wide strainer ladle and transfer to the sauce. Add a ladleful of pasta water to the skillet as well. If you don’t have a strainer to do this, make sure to save some of the pasta water before straining out the pasta.
Gently toss the pasta with the sauce while cooking over medium high heat. You don’t want to stir too vigorously or the eggplant might break up. Cook for a few minutes, gently tossing, until the sauce thickens slightly. The starch from the pasta water will help the sauce cling to the pasta. To serve the pasta, transfer to a large pasta bowl. Garnish with more fresh basil and freshly grated cheese and enjoy!
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
This tomato-based pasta dish calls for a red wine pairing. Choose a medium bodied red wine such as a fruity Syrah or a Malbec. If you are looking for an Italian pairing then try a Chianti, or even more appropriately, a Nero d’Avola, a popular red wine from Sicily.
More Italian Recipes
If you love Italian food as much as me, try out these recipes:
