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Chop Tomatoes: Remove the stems but leave the skin on. Coarsely chop them and remove the seeds under running water. Cook Pasta.

Make Sauce: This is the most time-consuming step because the tomatoes need to be cooked for a long time, at least 30 minutes. The tomatoes should cook and melt slowly with the poached garlic, salt, and oil. Remember to leave the poached garlic without crushing it because it has to give the aroma without overpowering the other flavors.

Prepare Eggplant: Do not peel it; this is typical of the recipe and will make the eggplant retain its texture. Eggplant can leave a bitter taste that can spoil the dish. Therefore, before frying it, it is necessary to:

Fry Eggplant: After blotting well, the eggplant should be deep-fried at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Once cooked, blot off the excess oil.

Serve Hot: Add the eggplant once the tomatoes are cooked. Finally, add the freshly grated cheese on top of the cooked pasta. Be generous; the more cheese, the tastier the Norma will be, and the more it will melt in your mouth.

To Make Ahead: The best Pasta Alla Norma recipe should be freshly prepared and served hot with the melted cheese. The only item you can prepare in advance is the tomato sauce, which you can keep for about two days in the refrigerator.

To Store: Keep Pasta Alla Norma in the refrigerator. Leftovers can also be eaten cold the next day. It will be like a delicious pasta salad!

For my authentic Italian recipes, be sure to follow Stefania’s Kitchenette!

Author: Lauren Allen
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 476
Prep: 30 Minutes
Cook: 15 Minutes
Total: 42 Minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Sauce

For the Eggplant

For the Pasta

Instructions

Wash and dry the eggplant well. Cut the eggplant into slices about ¼ inch lengthwise. Sprinkle with salt and leave slices to drain for at least 15 minutes.

Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer them to a saucepan with oil, salt, 2 cloves of poached garlic, and basil. Allow it to cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove the garlic (if you like more flavor, leave it in the tomatoes);

Purée the tomatoes with an immersion blender at a very low speed.

Transfer sauce to a frying pan, add the last clove of garlic and a few basil leaves.

Fry eggplant slices at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) in extra virgin olive oil, drain them, and pat them well with paper towels. Add slices to tomato sauce.

Cook the pasta al dente in boiling salted water (3 liters of water with 1.5 tablesoons (30g) of salt). Drain when ready.

Sauté the pasta in the pan with the sauce and eggplant over high heat for a couple of minutes.

Flavor it with remaining basil, divided among the plates, and add a generous amount of grated salted ricotta on each plate.

Serve the plates of Pasta Alla Norma while very hot.

Variations

Pasta Alla Norma should be freshly prepared and served hot with the melted cheese. The only item you can prepare in advance is the tomato sauce, which you can keep for about two days in the refrigerator.

Keep Pasta Alla Norma in the refrigerator. Leftovers can also be eaten cold the next day. It will be like a delicious pasta salad!

Calories: 476kcal
Carbohydrates: 63g
Protein: 15g
Fat: 20g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 16mg
Sodium: 63750mg
Potassium: 1378mg
Fiber: 10g
Sugar: 16g
Vitamin A: 3576IU
Vitamin C: 58mg
Calcium: 195mg
Iron: 3mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.