Italian · Lunch · Dinner
Pasta alla Norma
A lighter take on the Sicilian classic: oven-roasted eggplant folded into a garlicky tomato and basil sauce with whole wheat rigatoni, finished with a snowfall of salty ricotta salata.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 65% · Fat 21% · Protein 14%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 2 medium600 geggplant
- 2 tbsp27 gextra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tspsalt, for the eggplant and sauce
- 1 tsp6 gsalt, for the pasta water (mostly drained away)
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic
- 1/2 tspred chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 cans (400 g each)canned crushed tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 large handful15 gfresh basil
- 320 gwhole wheat rigatoni or penne
- 4 litres4,000 gwater
- 1/3 cup40 gricotta salata, finely grated
Steps
- 1
Heat the oven to 220 °C / 425 °F and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- 2
Cut the eggplant into 2 cm cubes.
- 3
Toss the eggplant with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and 1/4 tsp of the eggplant-and-sauce salt.
- 4
Spread the eggplant in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes, turning once, until golden and tender.
- 5
Meanwhile, thinly slice the garlic.
- 6
Warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat and cook the garlic and chilli flakes for 1 minute until fragrant, without browning.
- 7
Add the crushed tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 tsp eggplant-and-sauce salt, then simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 8
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the 1 tsp pasta-water salt.
- 9
Cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes, and scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining.
- 10
Tear most of the basil into the sauce and stir in the roasted eggplant.
- 11
Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed.
- 12
Serve topped with the grated ricotta salata and the remaining basil leaves.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegan version, skip the ricotta salata and top with toasted breadcrumbs mixed with a little nutritional yeast.
- For a gluten-free plate, use a gluten-free rigatoni or penne, choosing one labelled gluten-free.
- If you can't find ricotta salata, use finely grated pecorino romano or a crumbly feta instead.
- Swap the whole wheat pasta for regular durum wheat rigatoni if you prefer a lighter texture.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot with a splash of water. Store the grated cheese separately and add it after reheating, and avoid freezing the finished pasta as it turns mushy.
Make ahead
Roast the eggplant and make the tomato sauce up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Reheat the sauce until steaming hot, stir in the eggplant, then cook the pasta fresh and toss everything together.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenMilk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (1,455 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 472 kcal | 32 kcal |
| Protein | 17.9 g | 1.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 83.3 g | 5.7 g |
| of which sugars | 16.3 g | 1.1 g |
| Fiber | 15.8 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 12.1 g | 0.8 g |
| of which saturated | 2.8 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 907 mg | 62 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
