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Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

Cooked (Aug 14, 2026)

Italian · main · Serves: 5

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Ingredients

Serves5 servings
  • 500 g rigatoni or spaghetti
  • 618 g eggplant (3), cubed
  • 600 g canned crushed tomatoes
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 150 g feta, crumbled (instead of ricotta salata)
  • 150 ml olive oil, plus a little for the garlic
  • 1.5 tbsp coarse salt (for the eggplant)
  • 0.75 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp dried oregano (instead of basil)
  • Optional: fresh red chilies chopped into the sauce; parsley to garnish

Steps

  1. Toss the eggplant with the coarse salt in a colander and leave 30 min. Pat dry.
  2. Fry the eggplant in the olive oil in batches on medium-high, 8–10 min per batch, until golden and tender. Drain on paper towels.
  3. In the same pan, cook the garlic briefly in a little oil. Add the tomatoes, oregano and pepper and simmer 20 min.
  4. Boil the pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Save a cup of pasta water.
  5. Toss the pasta into the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Fold in most of the eggplant.
  6. Serve topped with the rest of the eggplant, the feta, and parsley or oregano.

Notes

  • Only one fresh tomato was on hand; canned tomatoes are an assumption.
  • Half a small onion (about 50 g) was discussed but isn't in the final version.

Variations

  • Lighter: roast the eggplant at 220°C for 25–30 min instead of frying
  • Original 4-serving version: 400 g pasta, 2 eggplants, 500 g tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves, 12 basil leaves, 100 g ricotta salata
  • Half eggplant, half zucchini (idea only)

Watch Sumac cook it

Sumac cooking Pasta alla Norma

Source: https://claude.ai/chat/0b165057-c2fe-438d-8e47-a315d9a8f2cb