• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Greedy Gourmet | Food & Travel Blog
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
    • Where To Eat in England
      • London
      • Berkshire
      • Essex
      • Surrey
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Montenegro
      • Ireland
    • Netherlands
    • Serbia
    • Spain
  • Places to Visit
    • Places to Stay in England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Portugal
    • Spain
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Places to Visit
  • Restaurants
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Cooking Times / b) 30 - 60 mins / Pasta alla Norma

    Pasta alla Norma

    20 October 2016 - By Michelle Minnaar
    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Facebook44TweetPin11YummlyShares55
    Jump to Recipe

    Pasta alla Norma hails from the Catania region in Sicily, comprising aubergines, tomatoes and ricotta. The best part is, you can even make your own fresh fusilli pasta. 

    Sicilian pasta

    Love Italian Food? Check out these cookbooks!

    • Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration
    • Pronto! Let’s cook Italian in 20 minutes
    • Gino’s Pasta: Everything You Need to Cook the Italian Way
    • Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen

    In this case, there is no anecdotal or historical story to tell other than it is thought to be named after the opera Norma, composed by Catania-born composer Vincenzo Bellini.

    I’ve said it before and will say it again. The often overlooked yet versatile aubergine doesn’t feature nearly enough on British plates. Here are three ways to utilise it:

    • Melitzanosalata: as a starter as a dip
    • Brinjal Bhaji: a vegan side dish
    • Moussaka: a meaty casserole

    Salted Aubergine in Colander
    Here we make use of it as part of a pasta sauce. Unless its skin is blemished there appears little point to peeling the beautiful ingredient. Slice it in rings, chop it roughly, cut it in any shape you please. For years there has been a raging debate whether to salt it before cooking in order for it to absorb less oil. Salting might help reduce the bitterness of older aubergines but for it to become less absorbent a quick zap in the microwave will help to collapse its spongy structure. Anything deep-fried always tastes better but I opted for the healthier route by melting some Bertolli with Butter and covering the eggplant cubes on all sides before spreading them in an even layer and baking everything in the oven. The results are so moreish, it’s a feat in itself not to nibble up all the eggplant before it makes it to the actual sauce!

    Vegetarian Dinner

    If you grow your own tomatoes, use them! If not, don’t buy the lacklustre flavoured tomatoes at the greengrocer but use canned tomatoes instead for a better and intense flavour. In the latter’s case the sauce with have a thicker consistency as well, clinging to the pasta better.

    Traditionally, ricotta salata is meant to be used but alas, tried as I might, I couldn’t find it at my local shop and resorted to using parmesan instead. Another alternative is feta or pecorino. Whatever you do, don’t tell the Sicilian in your life what you’ve been up to because the last thing you need is the Mafia on your case.

    Vegetarian Italian Recipe

    I used this recipe for Pasta alla Norma as my inspiration and here are plenty more pasta recipes from Bertolli.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Norma Pastaalla

    Pasta alla Norma


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Michelle Minnaar
    • Total Time: 50 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Pasta alla Norma hails from the Catania region in Sicily, comprising aubergines, tomatoes and ricotta.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 large eggplants, cut into cubes
    • 5ml (1 tsp) sea salt
    • 45ml (3 tbsp) Bertolli with Butter
    • 2 cans chopped tomatoes
    • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 5ml (1 tsp) chilli flakes
    • 5ml (1 tsp) dried oregano
    • 60g (2oz) ricotta salata
    • 300g (10oz) dried pasta, cooked

    Instructions

    1. Lightly sea salt the aubergine in a colander and leave for 20 minutes.
    2. Melt the Bertolli with Butter and stir into the aubergine until everything is covered.
    3. Place the aubergine in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at the highest setting until cubes are browned and soft. Remove and leave aside.
    4. Place the tomatoes in a pot with the garlic, chilli and oregano. Simmer gently for 20 minutes until sauce has thickened and flavours absorbed. Season to taste.
    5. Add the aubergine and pasta and stir vigorously to give latter the tomato coating.
    6. Divide into portions and top with grated cheese.

    Notes

    If you can’t find Ricotta Salata, use feta, pecorino or parmesan instead.

    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Category: Main Course
    • Cuisine: Sicilian

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 552.7g
    • Calories: 478
    • Sugar: 4.8 g
    • Sodium: 300 mg
    • Fat: 14 g
    • Saturated Fat: 7.9 g
    • Carbohydrates: 67 g
    • Fiber: 7 g
    • Protein: 13 g
    • Cholesterol: 38 mg

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @greedygourmet on Instagram and hashtag it #greedygourmet

    save the recipe to your pinterest board

    Norma Alla Pasta

    P.S. This is a sponsored post.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Biscoff Blondies
    • Courgette Tart
    • Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole
    • Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup
    Facebook44TweetPin11YummlyShares55

    DON’T MISS A THING!

    New recipes, tips & tricks, reviews and giveaways every week!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Renil M. George

      September 09, 2017 at 10:16 pm

      Super yummy pasta.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Make my day! - Share your thoughts... Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Food Photographer & Blogger

    about michelle

    Welcome to my eclectic collection of recipes from all four corners of the world. I hope to inspire you to get into the kitchen and never eat a boring meal ever again. Want to know more?

    More about me →

    Join the
    Greedy Gourmet club!

    Latest Recipes

    • 8 Cinnamon Substitutes
    • Peppermint Crisp Tart
    • 11 Coconut Sugar Substitutes
    • Can You Freeze Ham?

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Copyright, Privacy & Disclosure Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Services

    • Food Photography
    • Recipe Development
    • Food Videography

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate and affiliate marketer I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Greedy Gourmet