Pasta Alla Norma Recipe
This Pasta alla Norma Recipe of simmered tomato sauce with fried fresh eggplant, cheese, and basil is beyond delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ peeled finely grated yellow onion
- 2 finely grated garlic cloves
- 2 28- ounce cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, blended until smooth
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound tubular pasta like penne rigate or rigatoni
- 1 medium-sized skin on eggplant cut into 1-inch pieces about 12 ounces
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 cup grated Ricotta Salata cheese
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large sauce pot over medium heat and heat it up for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Next, stir in the onion and garlic, season with a little salt, and sauté for 2 minutes or until it starts to barely brown.
- Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the ingredients are caramelized.
- Pour in the tomatoes, slightly tear half of the basil leaves, add them in, gently season with salt and pepper, and cook over low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the amount has reduced by about 1/3.
- Once the sauce is done, adjust any seasonings with salt and pepper and keep warm to the side.
- Next, add the avocado oil to a large frying pan over high heat and heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
- Add in the eggplant and spread it around so that they are on a single layer covering as much surface area as possible.
- Sauté the eggplant for no more than 90 seconds. You want them to be browned on 1 or 2 sides without overcooking. They should be al dente.
- Set them to the side on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.
- Next, add your pasta to a large pot of boiling water and cook it according to the package or al dente.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the saucepot with sauce along with ½ of the grated Ricotta Salata, ½ the remaining basil leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Fold the ingredients together using a spoon or rubber spatula until combined.
- Serve the pasta in a bowl and then add on the fried eggplant, remaining cheese, basil leaves, and optional drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten as soon as it is finished being made.
How to Store: Cover the pasta and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This will not freeze well.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pasta to a medium-sized saucepot and heat over low to medium heat while continually gently stirring with a spoon until hot. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.
If you use fresh homemade pasta, it will only take 1 to 2 minutes to cook.
Try adding cooked chicken or shrimp to this dish for an extra punch of protein.
Al dente means to the tooth. The pasta should be firm but not hard or chalky.
Any pasta shape will work for this recipe.
Ricotta Salata is by nature, Sicilian.
Use 1 tablespoon of dry basil instead of the fresh basil I used.
Nutrition
Calories: 799kcalCarbohydrates: 111gProtein: 27gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 343mgPotassium: 1235mgFiber: 11gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 865IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 244mgIron: 5mg