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Pasta alla norma

Pasta alla norma

Pasta alla norma is a delicious Italian pasta dish made with eggplant, tomato sauce, and herbs.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 530 kcal

Equipment

  • oven
  • Large pot
  • Skillet
  • baking tray

Ingredients
  

Vegetables

  • 800 g eggplant cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes (2 medium/large ones)

Pasta and Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for eggplant
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • ½ small onion very finely chopped (or 2 eschallots)
  • ¼ cup dry white wine anything not too sweet or woody
  • 700 g tomato passata (aka tomato puree)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs or oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional (for a hint of heat)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 300 g spaghetti or other pasta, long or short

Garnish

  • ½ cup basil leaves roughly chopped
  • Parmesan cheese grated (or ricotta salata if you have it – more traditional)

Instructions
 

Roasted eggplant

  • Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
  • Toss eggplant with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the tray and roast for 20 minutes.
  • Flip, then roast for a further 5 minutes. Cool on tray.

Cooking pasta

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta a couple of minutes after you start making the sauce.

Sauce

  • Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds until golden, then add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
  • Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, if using. Let it simmer until the wine mostly evaporates.
  • Add tomato passata. Pour the water into the passata bottle, shake, and pour that in too.
  • Add dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
  • Stir in eggplant, then add cooked and drained pasta. GENTLY toss until pasta is coated in the sauce.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil and parmesan.

Notes

Wine adds depth of flavor to the sauce. Omit if you can’t consume alcohol. Fresh basil is a key element, but can be substituted with other herbs like thyme or oregano.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 530kcalCarbohydrates: 83gProtein: 15gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 828mgPotassium: 1178mgFiber: 12gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 655IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 4mg
Keyword eggplant pasta, Italian dish, Pasta, Pasta alla norma, simple pasta, Vegetarian
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