Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma is a classic Italian dish brimming with deep flavours. This traditional recipe is known for its golden-fried aubergines and rich tomato sauce. We top it all off with crumbled white cheese and fresh basil. This dish is easy to make and can be served anytime you need a quick meal.
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Instructions

  • Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Fry the garlic over medium heat for a few minutes without letting it colour.
  • Add tomatoes, chilli flakes, salt, and sugar. Rinse out the tomato cans with a little water and add it to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer while the rest is being cooked.
  • Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
  • Dice the aubergine into about 1×1 cm pieces. Heat plenty of olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the aubergine with the rosemary until it has a nice colour and is completely cooked through. Season with salt and let the aubergine drain on kitchen paper.
  • Cook the pasta until al dente. Mix the well-drained pasta with the tomato sauce and aubergine. Season with salt.
  • Top the pasta alla Norma with crumbled white cheese and basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

FAQ: Questions about Pasta alla Norma

Learn how to tackle our pasta alla Norma recipe. We have answered a few commonly asked questions. Read below to find out more!

What is pasta alla Norma?
Pasta alla Norma is a traditional Sicilian dish featuring penne or other short pasta combined with a rich tomato sauce and fried aubergines and topped with crumbled cheese and fresh basil. The dish is named after the opera “Norma”, composed by Vincenzo Bellini.
Is Pasta alla Norma spicy?
Pasta alla Norma has a mild heat due to the addition of chilli flakes. The spice level can be adjusted to taste by adding more or fewer chilli flakes.
Can I freeze pasta alla Norma?
While the pasta can be frozen, the texture of the sauce and aubergines may change slightly upon thawing. It is best to freeze the sauce and aubergines separately and combine them with freshly cooked pasta when ready to serve. Store everything in separate airtight containers suitable for freezing.

Ingredients

Penne pasta
360 g
Garlic cloves
4
Olive oil
1 tbsp
Cherry tomatoes
2 cans
Chilli flakes
1 tsp
Salt
1 tsp
Granulated sugar
1 tsp
Aubergines
2
Olive oil
Dried rosemary
1 tsp
Apetina® Original White Cheese In Brine
150 g
Fresh basil
1 pot
Other recipes
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Tips: Get the perfect pasta alla Norma

We bring you a few tips for making pasta alla Norma so you can easily take part in the Italian cooking tradition.

Uniform aubergine pieces

Make sure to cut the aubergine into uniform pieces. This ensures that they are fried evenly without any pieces being under or overcooked.

Storing leftovers

Keep your pasta alla Norma fresh by storing leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 4–5 days. When you are ready to eat it again, gently warm the pasta on the stove and add a little water to keep it from drying out. This way, the pasta and sauce taste as good as when you first made them.

Try our easy recipe for pasta alla Norma

Enjoy our easy recipe for pasta alla Norma. The dish is simple and built around a few simple ingredients everyone can perfect. The aubergines are fried to be tender and delicious and then mixed with a rich tomato sauce. Chilli flakes and garlic bring a touch of pungent heat, while a single teaspoon of sugar gives the sauce a tinge of sweetness. Topped with tangy white cheese and fresh basil, pasta alla Norma is a colourful dish with heart-warming flavours.

Are you looking for a few more easy pasta dishes for dinner? Try our recipe for pasta arrabbiata, spaghetti in tomato sauce, or the tasty spaghetti puttanesca.

Tender aubergines with tasty tomato sauce

The simple combination of tender aubergines and tomato sauce is also what makes pasta alla Norma so great. The aubergine is sliced into small pieces and fried in olive oil, where they caramelise and release their natural sugars. Mixed with the rich tomato sauce, the aubergine absorbs the flavours for an irresistible combination.

Discover an iconic Sicilian pasta dish

Pasta alla Norma is a true Sicilian classic, with its birthplace in Catania on the east coast of Sicily. Here, it is named after “Norma”, an opera composed by Catania’s own Vincenzo Bellini in the 1800s. The Italian writer Nino Martoglio was so impressed by the dish’s flavours that he supposedly said, “This is a true Norma!” meaning the dish was a masterpiece and tasted as good as the opera. So, why not experience an iconic Sicilian dish singing with flavour?

Perfect as a quick dinner option

Whether you are looking for an easy lunch or a quick dinner, pasta alla Norma fits the bill perfectly. The dish is made from a few simple ingredients and does not need a lot of preparation. This means you can take to the kitchen immediately when you get home from work. All you need to do is cook the sauce, aubergines, and pasta, and you have a meal that you can enjoy any time of day.

Make it your own

While the dish is traditional, there are a few things you can change up without changing the recipe completely.

Experiment with different cheeses. Try Parmesan cheese for a nutty, savoury flavour and a texture that turns nice and gooey on the pasta. Mozzarella is slightly fresher and milder in taste, and when it melts, it brings a stringy, gooey texture.

Consider adding other vegetables to the aubergines that fry well in the pan. Red pepper, courgette, and mushrooms turn nice and golden when fried, so try out the ones you find most appealing.

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