One of Sicily’s most beloved culinary exports (and there are so many to love) is the classic, eggplant-centric pasta dish, Pasta Alla Norma. Tender, almost silky fried eggplant, perfectly al dente pasta, and a rich, homemade tomato sauce make our classic, easy Pasta Alla Norma recipe taste just right. Top the finished pasta alla norma with salty Italian ricotta salata (if you can find it!) or use one of the substitutes we suggest and you’ll be transported to a sunny Italian coastline — at least in your mind. For more simple, easy Italian dinners, check out our simple Homemade Marinara Sauce, or our very Sicilian Fish Puttanesca, or — because pasta is usually pretty darn easy — browse through our collection of the 63 Best Pasta Recipes!
Why This Recipe Works
- While some recipes have you bake the eggplant as a nod to health, we fry the eggplant, which is the most traditional way of preparing eggplant for Pasta Alla Norma. It’s also, obviously, delicious to fry eggplant in olive oil!
- We take our time, and it pays off. You could use a jarred pasta sauce in a pinch, but taking the extra 30 minutes to make a quick, garlicky tomato sauce will make your Pasta Alla Norma delicious enough that you’ll wish you’d invited more people over for dinner so you can show off your skills.
- We keep it simple. This simple dish is classically Italian, meaning that it uses just a few beautiful, simple ingredients and treats them tenderly to create a dish that feels like a beautiful ode to the agricultural gifts that are: Tomatoes and eggplants.
- You can make spicy Pasta Alla Norma — or keep things mild. It’s up to you! Sicilian food sometimes includes a bit of heat, and Pasta Alla Norma is delicious with pepper flakes in the mix. However, if you’re serving a crowd that does not love spice, it’s fine to leave them out. You’ll still have a deeply flavorful dish that’s rich with olive oil, tomatoes and eggplant.
Key Ingredients for Pasta Alla Norma
- Eggplant: Some recipes suggest using Japanese eggplant, which is small and barely has seeds. We just used a regular, old huge grocery store eggplant. Either is OK — if you use a smaller Japanese eggplant, be sure to use however many small eggplants you need to have about 2 pounds of eggplant.
- Tomatoes: We use canned whole tomatoes because we wanted the tomato sauce to have some texture to it.
- Pasta: Rigatoni is a classic pasta shape for Alla Norma, but penne or even ziti work, too.
- Olive oil: You’ll need a lot of extra virgin olive oil for this dish — nearly 2 cups! Some for frying the eggplant and some for the sauce. Yes, it’s a bit of a splurge! But this vegetarian pasta feels luxurious and rich, and the olive oil is a big part of that magic.
- Cheese! Good, salty, slightly funky ricotta salata can be hard to find in regular grocery stores, though it is becoming easier. Unlike fresh ricotta (the kind you’d use in Lasagna or Stuffed Shells) ricotta salata is a hard, salty, slightly aged cheese. If you can’t find it, or don’t have it on hand, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano are fine substitutes.
- Seasonings: Garlic, basil, oregano, pepper flakes.
How To Make Pasta Alla Norma
- Get the tomato sauce simmering first, because it needs 30 minutes (and 45 is better).
- Fry the eggplant: You’ll need to work in batches so that you don’t over-crowd your pan (a nice big skillet is great for this job) as you fry the eggplant in olive oil.
- Cook the pasta: If you’re a strong multi-tasker (and we bet you are) you could have the tomato sauce simmering, the pasta boiling and the eggplant frying all at once.
- Mix it all together. Pasta + fried eggplant + tomato sauce and you’re almost there. Now just….
- Top with cheese and dig in! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They’ll be delicious!
More Satisfying Mediterranean Recipes
More Dinnertime Wins, This Way!
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
