The first time I ever went into Mortadella Head, I filmed a video of Chuck creating a pasta alla norma dish, a traditional Italian eggplant sauce recipe.
Of course, I loved it.
I had never eaten this delicious sauce before, and I found it to be so easy.
All it involved was some high quality pasta sauce (we used a marinara sauce), sauteed eggplant, fresh basil, a high quality olive oil, freshly minced garlic cloves, spices, and fresh basil.
That’s it.
Serve it up over your favorite pasta with ricotta salata cheese, and you have the most delicious eggplant tomato sauce you’ve ever seen.
Pasta Alla Norma, or as some refer to it as, “Eggplant Sauce,” is a super popular Italian recipe.
Browned eggplant, delicious sauce, traditional Sicilian flavors coming together in a large skillet… What’s not to love?
If you want my opinion, this is one of the easiest tomato sauce recipes there is.
This whole thing comes together in just fifteen minutes, and the fried eggplant melts perfectly into the sauce to give you an incredibly rich flavor.
Plus, it’s a nice way to hide veggies in pasta.
Which, anyone who’s ever fed a kid knows is a huge bonus.
If this is your first time making Pasta Alla Norma, you’re in for a treat.
All you need is some pasta sauce, garlic cloves, diced eggplant, a little oil, and some fresh herbs and you’ll be in for a treat!
Here’s What You Need:
Marinara Sauce: Make your own tomato sauce, or use a good quality store bought one—like ours!
Eggplant: Half of a fresh ripe eggplant is all you need for this eggplant pasta dish. Though, there can never be too much eggplant!
Rigatoni: Penne would also work wonderfully in this recipe.
Garlic: Fresh, minced, and the cardinal Italian rule—never jarred!
Olive Oil: ½ cup of olive oil will get that eggplant nice and crispy.
Basil: Roll up a few basil leaves and slice them. We call this chiffonade.
Seasonings: The usual suspects, AKA salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes are at play here in this eggplant tomato sauce recipe.
Here’s How You Make It:
Boil a pot of salted pasta water. At the same time, heat up your olive oil on medium-high heat.
When oil is heating, begin to prepare your eggplant.
Slice it in half, and then into ½ inch thick eggplant slices. From there, you can begin to cube your eggplant.
Take tongs and gently place your eggplant into the oil.
Make sure you’re gentle—you really don’t want to burn yourself with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, and let fry until golden brown. It should look something like this
When your eggplant is done, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil.
Remove most of your olive oil, but keep a little bit in the pan to finish the dish.
Begin to toast diced garlic and calabrian chili peppers.
Season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant!
Once garlic is cooked, add your eggplant back to the pan. Add about two scoops of marinara, and let simmer until heated through. It should smell delicious at this point.
When your eggplant is done, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil.
Remove most of your olive oil, but keep a little bit in the pan to finish the dish.
Begin to toast diced garlic and calabrian chili peppers.
Season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant!
Once garlic is cooked, add your eggplant back to the pan. Add about two scoops of marinara, and let simmer until heated through. It should smell delicious at this point.
What To Serve With This Simple Eggplant Pasta Recipe:
Drink: In terms of wine, you really can’t go wrong with pairing this dish just as the Sicilians would—with a nice Nero d’Avola red wine.
Appetizer: Some fresh homemade bruschetta would be perfect with this. The fresh tomatoes and basil would be delicious before eating this Pasta Alla Norma.
Side Dish: Use some of that leftover eggplant and homemade tomato sauce and make some eggplant rollatini. Thank me later.
FAQS:
Q: What if I can’t find Ricotta Salata?
A: Don’t worry! Any other grated cheese will do. Pecorino Romano or Parmesan will work perfectly.
Q: I don’t have any rigatoni. What other pasta shapes would work here?
A: Penne would be just as delicious for your Pasta Alla Norma.
Q: How else can I prepare the fresh eggplant?
A: As much as I love using a large saucepan to watch this entire recipe come together, this dish works just as well with roasted eggplant.
Especially if you plan on using half of the eggplant for something else, preparing the entire eggplant in advance by roasting it on a sheet pan is a wonderful idea.
Q: How should I store this pasta and eggplant dish?
A: This is good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I’d personally advise against freezing this—the eggplant may develop a strange consistency.
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Eggplant Tomato Sauce Recipe: Easy Pasta Alla Norma
Ingredients
- ½ ripe eggplant, diced
- ½ lb- 1 lb rigatoni
- Jarred marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried Calabrian chili flakes
- ½ cup olive oil
- Fresh basil to taste
- 2 tablespoons Ricotta Salata
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- In a saute pan, heat up the olive oil on medium heat.
- Dice your eggplant into ½ inch cubes.
- When your oil is hot enough, add eggplant, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. You want to make sure each side of the eggplant turns golden brown. Do it in a couple batches if necessary.
- Season eggplant with salt and pepper.
- Once the eggplant gets golden brown, transfer to a paper towel lined dish to soak off any excess oil.
- Get rid of most of your oil, leaving a little bit at the bottom.
- Add minced garlic and calabrian chili peppers to the saute pan. Season with salt & pepper and allow the garlic to toast until fragrant.
- Add your eggplant back to the sautee pan.
- Add 2 cups of your marinara sauce to the pan with the sauteed eggplant, and let it simmer
- When rigatoni is cooked to al dente, add it to the saute pan with the eggplant and marinara sauce.
- Coat the pasta with sauce by tossing in the pan.
- Add fresh basil and some grated ricotta salata to the pan and toss with pasta.
- Plate your pasta, and serve with extra basil and more ricotta salata on top.
- Enjoy
