Pasta alla Norma recipe

Creamy, cheesy with eggplant slices cooked to perfection, our pasta alla Norma tastes divine. We love to cook this when someone claims they don’t like eggplant, once they taste roasted eggplant in this delicious pasta dish, they completely change their minds!

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Why you’ll love our tasty pasta dish

• It’s a hearty, tasty vegetarian meat-free weeknight dinner that only takes 20 minutes of prep.
• This is one of the easiest pasta alla Norma recipes there is!
• It’s a real crowd-pleaser, we’re yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like our pasta alla Norma.
• You can use virtually any pasta you have in your store cupboard.

Why is it called ‘alla Norma’?

Pasta alla Norma is a Sicilian dish originally named pasta con le melanzane, which means pasta with eggplant.

It acquired the name ‘pasta alla Norma‘ after Catania Vincenzo Bellini who was the composer of an opera called ‘Norma.’

It’s reported that when he tasted the eggplant pasta dish he loved it and said ‘this is a real Norma!’ which meant it was a masterpiece.

The name pasta alla Norma stuck and is commonly how pasta con le melanzane is referred to now.

Combine homemade marinara sauce with beautifully seasoned roasted eggplant and cheesy pasta, and you’ve got a winning absolutely delicious weeknight dinner.

What pasta sauce should I use?

The best pasta sauce to use when cooking this delicious recipe is marinara sauce, a tomato sauce.

Homemade marinara sauce is always the best to use, it’s fresh and full of flavor and you can make it ahead.

If you don’t have time to make your own tomato sauce, buy the best quality pasta sauce you can, as the sauce is a big part of the dish.

Eggplant or aubergine?

Eggplant or aubergine depends totally on where you live.

If you live in America, you’ll call it an eggplant because when it was first introduced to North America, it looked like white eggs.

If you live in Europe, you’ll call it aubergine, a French word.

We’ll call it eggplant, as most of our readers live in North America.

And if you love eggplant, try this vegan stuffed eggplant.

Eggplant slices or cubes?

For this recipe, we use roasted eggplant slices.

The slices are seasoned perfectly, and they are light, tasty, and crispy, and work so well in this delicious pasta dish, they become deliciously silky when combined with the tomato sauce.

If you are roasting, eggplant cubes don’t tend to roast as well; cubes are better for fried eggplant.

What cheese do I use in this pasta dish?

The cheese we use in our recipe is vegetarian.

We’ve used vegetarian finely grated parmesan cheese (you may find it labeled as Italian hard cheese), but you could also use finely grated Ricotta Salata cheese.

You could easily use vegan hard cheese, making this eggplant pasta dish vegan-friendly.

Ricotta Salata cheese is typically found in a traditional pasta alla norma.

Don’t mistake ricotta cheese for Ricotta Salata cheese.

Ricotta Salata cheese is aged and pressed, so it’s a much drier cheese than ricotta, it makes it good for finely grating.

Be warned; ricotta Salata cheese is not vegetarian.

How do I store it?

If you do have leftovers (unlikely), you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Gently heat them before serving them or eat them cold; it’s your choice.

Recipe notes and expert tips

• Don’t like spicy foods?
  Just leave out the red pepper flakes
• Get ahead
  Cook the tomato sauce (marinara) and roast the eggplants the day before and store them in the fridge in airtight containers.
• Make it vegan
  Just use vegan cheese, this is the only ingredient that is potentially not vegan.
• Got leftover pasta?
  Have it for lunch the next day, it’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• No rigatoni?
  Use any short pasta you have in your store cupboard.
• Want to loosen the sauce up?
  Use a little of your pasta water, pour a little in at a time and stir to combine until you have your preferred consistency.

More pasta dishes you’ll love

If you like our pasta alla norma recipe, then check out these delicious pasta recipes; Gigi Hadid pasta, penne arrabiata, mushroom pasta, and pasta alla Sorrentina, roasted veggie pasta salad, or vegan pasta bake.

Why not try eggplant in this Japanese stir fry?

How to make pasta alla Norma with step-by-step instructions

Making our pasta alla Norma recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.

A full printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

If you are going to make your own marinara sauce, then start with this.

If you use a jar of marinara or tomato sauce, gently warm it in a pan.

Preheat your oven to 220°C/425F.

To prevent your eggplant from sticking, line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Remove the ends from your eggplants, and if you would like striped eggplant slices, then use a vegetable peeler and peel stripes, but this is not essential.

Remove the ends from your eggplants and cut them into slices roughly 1cm/½ inch thick.

Use extra virgin olive oil to brush the eggplants on both sides, then season with salt and ground black pepper.

Roast the eggplants for 35-40 minutes or until they are golden brown (see image). Halfway through cooking, turn the slices over.

Now cook your pasta of choice, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and cook your pasta according to the packet instructions; you’ll want al dente pasta.

When your roasted eggplant is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and place it into your warm marinara sauce, stirring it in gently.

Add fresh basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, thyme, and the remaining teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir to combine.

Now place your drained pasta into the tomato sauce.

Gently stir to combine all the ingredients.

Add around two-thirds of your grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Taste and then, if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

Serve in bowls, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and garnish with fresh basil.

Delicious – enjoy!

We hope you enjoy making this delicious alla Norma pasta dinner recipe, and we’d love to hear from you and how you got on with it.

Please leave a comment below, or feel free to ask any questions you have.

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Learn how to make pasta alla norma with step-by-step photos!

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