Pasta alla Norma

5 from 5 vote

Paccheri alla Norma (Sicilian Eggplant Pasta) is truly an iconic pasta dish from Sicily. A simple but delicious recipe that is made with eggplants, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and fresh basil. The flavors all come together to make the most delicious pasta recipe. It's ready in less than 30 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

½ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion finely diced sweet, red, or 1 large shallot
1 lb fresh tomatoes I used plum tomatoes
1 can 28-ounces whole peeled San Marzano DOC tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons sea salt plus salt for the pasta water (1-1 ½ tablespoons for the pasta water)
¼-½ cup chopped fresh basil plus a handful more basil leaves for garnish
2 medium eggplants about 2 ¼ pounds total
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 lb paccheri or any short pasta like penne, casarecce, rigatoni
¾ cup finely grated ricotta salata

Instructions

Cook the sauce:

Heat oil: In a large saute' pan or medium saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high until it's shimmering.
Add onion: Add the onion and cook until translucent (no more than a minute, or it will brown).
Tomatoes: Add in the fresh tomatoes. Cook together with the onions for a few minutes. Next, add in the canned tomatoes and the juice(I break up the tomatoes with my hands,, removing the hard end before adding to the sauce).
Bring to a boil: Bring the sauce to a boil and use a wooden spoon to stir, breaking up the tomatoes while they’re cooking.
Lower heat: Once the sauce comes to a boil for a few minutes, lower heat to a simmer.
Season sauce: Season with the salt, and let the sauce cook and thicken.
Check the consistency of sauce: If it’s getting too thick, add a little bit of water (start with a ¼ cup).
Add fresh basil: Finally, stir in the fresh basil and stir to combine (and parsley, if you’re using).
Simmer sauce: Let sauce simmer for 20 minutes total. Check the salt and add more if needed.

Fry the eggplants:

Prep + fry eggplants: While the sauce is simmering, prep and fry up the eggplants. Cut the end off the eggplants. With a vegetable peeler, shave off long alternating strips of eggplant peel. Cut the eggplant into chunks.
Season + heat oil: Sprinkle a little salt on the eggplant. Heat up oil 350°F in a large frying pan.
Fry eggplant: Fry the eggplant until they turn golden brown, turning them every minute or so. Cook the eggplant in batches, so you don’t crowd them. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked eggplants and place them on a paper towel lined sheet.
Combine with sauce: Add the eggplant to the sauce and gently stir together. Let it simmer on medium low heat while you cook up the pasta.

Make the pasta:

Boil water: While the sauce is simmering and eggplant is frying, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Cook up pasta: Cook your pasta until it is 1 minute less than al dente.
Drain + reserve some pasta water: Drain the pasta when it is just before reaching al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
Combine pasta + sauce: Raise the heat of the sauce a little. Add the pasta to the saute’ pan with the sauce. Gently stir to combine and add a little bit of pasta water (a tablespoon at a time) if the sauce is too thick to loosen it up a little.
Prep the plates: Plate up the pasta and grate on some ricotta salata. Add on some chopped fresh basil and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before serving. ENJOY!

Notes

For the eggplant:

Grill: you could grill the eggplant in large rounds (if you prefer not frying). Just fold in the eggplants at the last minute to the sauce.
Roast: You could also toss the eggplant chunks in olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, and roast at 400° F until soft and golden brown. Stir into the tomato sauce same as following recipe above for frying eggplant.
Fry: Important tip if you’re frying (like we did in the recipe), be sure to give the eggplants space in the pan with the oil. Fry it up in batches. The color should be a nice golden brown on both sides.

For dairy-free:

Cheese: Omit the cheese and you could sprinkle on some vegan parmesan or whatever grated vegan cheese you like.

Leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Nutrition