Eggplant Pasta: Italian-Inspired Pasta alla Norma Recipe
Give Eggplant a Chance! I did, and I declare that roasted eggplant combined with pasta, tomatoes, and topped with cheese is simply fantastic. Besides, this dish hails from the beautiful, sunny Sicily, and let’s be honest – Italians truly excel in the kitchen, knowing how to enjoy delicious meals.
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz / 300 g of pasta, such as tagliatelle, spaghetti, or penne (weight before cooking)
- 2 cans of tomatoes, preferably finely chopped (I recommend Mutti brand) (2 x 14 oz/400 g)
- 2 medium-sized/large eggplants
- One red onion, medium or large
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp Italian Herbs or oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 0.5 tsp hot paprika powder you can add more
- 1 tsp sugar
- Two tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil, plus a bit for frying
- 3 oz/80 g Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, or crumbled ricotta
Instructions
- You can either fry or bake the eggplant. This recipe uses baked eggplant – baked eggplant is healthier than fried and holds its shape better. Cut the eggplants into medium-sized cubes and transfer all the pieces to a bowl. Drizzle the eggplant pieces with two tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper. I used about half a teaspoon of salt and a third of a teaspoon of ground pepper. Mix everything so that the oil (or oil), salt, and pepper cover the eggplant pieces.
- Transfer the chopped eggplant onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the pieces don’t overlap. Place it in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius (about 425 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for the first 20 minutes. Then, open the oven and carefully mix everything using, for example, a long spatula. Bake for an additional 10, up to 15 minutes. After this time, the eggplant should be well-baked.
- While the eggplant is in the oven, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add finely chopped red onion. Sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add minced or grated garlic to the onions and sauté for half a minute. Once the vegetables are sautéed, add canned tomatoes, preferably finely chopped, such as Mutti brand.
- To the tomatoes, add Italian Herbs or oregano, a teaspoon of sugar, salt, and pepper to taste, as well as hot paprika powder. I added half a teaspoon of this paprika, but if you like spicier flavors, you can add more. Mix everything. Once the tomatoes come to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, cook the pasta, preferably al dente.
- When the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency, add the previously cooked pasta and the roasted eggplant. Sprinkle with grated cheese. You can use Parmesan, a hard cheese similar to Parmesan such as Grana Padano, or crumbled Ricotta cheese. Mix everything well so that the sauce coats the pasta, and keep it on the heat for a while to ensure that all the ingredients are warm. Finally, you can sprinkle everything with chopped parsley.