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Master the classic Italian dish, Pasta Alla Norma, with our simple, step-by-step guide and pro tips for an easy & delicious meal.
I’ve been told that in Italy, ‘Norma’ means something spectacular or magnificent. I’m unsure if it’s true, but if it is, this dish is just as fantastic as its name suggests!
This dish is a perfect example of the simplicity of Italian cooking. You don’t need a lot of complicated ingredients to create a phenomenal dinner. It’s simply made with the flesh of roasted eggplant, canned plum tomatoes, white wine, and fresh basil.
The sauce is made by removing the flesh from roasted eggplants and adding it to tomato sauce, where the eggplant cooks down even more, making a delectable, flavorful dish that I promise you’ll love!
Why This Recipe Works
- Roasting the eggplant with minimal oil creates a slightly smoky flavor and reduces its water content and oil absorption, enhancing its taste while keeping it light.
- The white wine’s acidity balances the sweet tomatoes and rich eggplant, creating a well-rounded flavor.
- Sautéed garlic provides an extra layer of flavor to the dish.
- Finishing with freshly grated cheese in the hot pasta makes the sauce creamy, balances the tomatoes’ tang, and adds a nutty taste. This cheese is the final touch that makes the dish exceptionally tasty!
Choosing Canned Tomatoes
Choosing the right tomatoes for your pasta sauce seems easy, but here are some great tips:
- When buying Canned tomatoes, go for whole plum tomatoes, which are harvested and canned at peak ripeness. Manufacturers save the best quality tomatoes for canning whole because they must look pristine.
- Whole peeled tomatoes also break down easier when cooked because they have less surface area exposed to the chemicals in canned goods that keep foods from falling apart.
Eggplant/Aubergine Buying Guide
When selecting eggplants (also known as aubergines), try to go for the smaller ones. Younger eggplants tend to have sweeter, more tender insides and get bitter as they age.
Look for shiny and smooth eggplants that feel heavy when you pick them up. If they feel very light, they might be too old.
Press your finger gently but firmly against the skin of the eggplant. If it gives a little and then bounces back, it’s good. If your finger leaves a lasting dent, it means the eggplant is not very fresh and not ideal for cooking.
Ingredient Notes
- Eggplant: The fresher and smaller the eggplant, the better. See the guide above for more information on how to choose your eggplant.
- Pasta: I like to make this dish with penne pasta, but you can use this sauce on any of your favorite pasta shapes.
- Tomatoes: Canned plum tomatoes are perfect for this dish, but you can use chopped. Look for the best quality tomatoes possible (those with DOP on the label are best). See the guide above for more information.
- Wine: A great rule of thumb when using wine in your cooking is to use one you’d happily drink. I use a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. If you can’t use alcohol in your cooking, replace it with some lemon juice mixed with water.
- Cheese: Parmesan cheese is best for this dish, but any Italian hard cheese will work fine, Grana Padano cheese or Pecorino Romano are great choices.
How To Make Pasta Alla Norma
- Roast the eggplant. Once cooked, remove the flesh and set aside.
- Boil the pasta water.
- Saute garlic in a pan. Add tomatoes.
- Pour in the wine. Reduce.
- Crush the tomatoes into the sauce. Add the eggplant flesh.
- Add the basil, and some reserved pasta water. Simmer.
- Add the pasta and finish cooking in the sauce.
- Mix in the cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step By Step Instructions
Start by cutting 4 small eggplants in half and placing their flesh side down in a sheet pan. Then coat them with a thin layer of olive oil or spray them with low-fat cooking spray.
Roast in a hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes. When the skin shrivels, this is a good indication it is done.
Boil a pot of water for 1lb of pasta. Cook the pasta until almost done (about 2 minutes undercooked).
Salt the pasta water. The pasta water should taste like the ocean. Cooking the pasta in well-salted water seasons the pasta. The best pasta sauce in the world can’t make up for bland pasta.
Carefully remove the flesh from the eggplant while it’s still hot by scooping it out with a spoon.
Repeat until all the flesh is removed from the skins of the eggplants.
While the pasta cooks, start your sauce.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a deep frying pan. Add the garlic and cook until just browned.
Add one 14oz can of plum tomatoes.
Pour in 1 cup of white wine and increase the heat to let the alcohol in the wine evaporate. As the wine reduces, use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to squash the tomatoes into the sauce.
Continue to crush the tomatoes until they are your desired texture.
Add the eggplant flesh to the pan with the sauce.
Next, grab a big handful of basil. I mean a good handful!
Chop or tear the basil and add it to the sauce.
Mix the basil in, lower the heat, and allow to simmer until your pasta is about 2 minutes underdone.
Undercooking the pasta and finishing it in the sauce allows it to absorb some of it, giving it even more flavor.
Before draining the pasta, remove a cup of the cooking water and set aside.
Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and half the cooking water. Allow to simmer for two-three minutes to finish cooking the pasta.
When you add pasta water to sauces, it helps improve the dish in a few key ways. The pasta water contains starch that the pasta releases during cooking. This starch can thicken your sauce and help it stick better to the pasta, enhancing the texture and flavor of your dish. Plus, if you’ve salted your pasta water, it can add a little extra seasoning to your sauce.
Check the pasta is done. Once it is, add freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Mix in the cheese and taste for seasoning. Season to taste and serve with extra grated cheese.
Erren’s Top Tips
- Selecting Eggplant: Choose small, fresh eggplants (also known as aubergines) as they have fewer seeds and are less bitter. They should be smooth, shiny, and feel heavy for their size.
- Roasting Eggplant: Roast your eggplant halves with minimal oil. This gives them a rich, smoky flavor and reduces the amount of oil they absorb, resulting in a lighter, more flavorful dish.
- When roasting the eggplant, line the pan with nonstick foil to make it easy to remove.
- For an added smokey taste, try broiling the eggplant instead of roasting them and allow the skin to char a little.
- Tomatoes: When choosing canned tomatoes, opt for whole peeled ones. They break down nicely during cooking, leading to a smoother sauce.
- Wine Choice: When using wine in your cooking, use one you’d enjoy drinking. White wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, adds a pleasant acidity that balances the flavors in the dish.
- Don’t have wine? Try vermouth – it’s great for cooking and doesn’t go bad once opened. Plus, you can save the wine for drinking!
- When cooking the pasta, salt like you mean it – pasta water should taste like the ocean, and it’s the only time you get to add flavor to the pasta.
- To keep the pasta from sticking, make sure you use a big enough pan with lots of water. A good rule of thumb is to use 10x more water than pasta.
- Using Pasta Water: Don’t throw away the water you used to boil your pasta. This starchy water can be added to the sauce to help it thicken and cling better to the pasta.
- Adding Cheese: Add freshly grated cheese to the hot pasta. It melts into the pasta, making the sauce creamier and adding a lovely, nutty flavor.
- Pasta Cooking: Undercook your pasta by about 2 minutes before adding it to the sauce. This allows the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing some of the flavors and resulting in a tastier dish.
- An easy way to cut the basil is by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them into a cigar shape, and then slicing it into thin slices.
- If your tomatoes have too much acidity, add a pinch of sugar or baking soda taste, and repeat as needed.
Rate This Recipe
Recipe
Pasta Alla Norma
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 4 small eggplants (cut in half)
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 14 ounces can plum tomatoes
- 1 cup white wine
- fresh basil (A big handful )
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated )
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Place the eggplant halves face down on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and roast for 30-35 minutes (you’ll know they’re done when the skin shrivels). When ready, carefully scoop out the fleshy center with a spoon and run a knife through it to cut into strips.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a roaring boil, and cook the pasta until about 2 minutes underdone.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook until just brown.
- Add tomatoes followed by the wine. Raise the heat and allow the alcohol to cook off the wine. While the wine cooks down, crush the tomatoes with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
- Add the eggplant and basil to the tomatoes and mix well to combine, lower the heat and allow to simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Before straining the pasta, with a ladle or strainer, use a mug to remove a cup of pasta water. Then drain the pasta and mix it into the sauce in the pan with half the cooking water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes (add more pasta water if it gets a bit dry). Check to see if the pasta is cooked. Add freshly grated cheese to the pasta and mix well to incorporate.mix well to incorporate.
- Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with more grated cheese.
Tips
- When roasting the eggplant, line the pan with nonstick foil to make it easy to remove.
- When cooking the pasta, salt like you mean it – pasta water should taste of the ocean, and it’s the only time you get to add flavor to the pasta.
- An easy way to cut the basil is by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them into a cigar shape, and then slicing it into thin slices.
- To keep the pasta from sticking, make sure you use a big enough pan with lots of water. A good rule of thumb is to use 10x more water than pasta.
- If your tomatoes taste of too much acidity, add a pinch of sugar, taste, and repeat as needed.
- Don’t have wine? Try vermouth – it’s great for cooking and doesn’t go bad once opened. Plus, you can save the wine for drinking!
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