Pasta alla Norma (Aubergine, Tomato and Ricotta Salata)
By Joe
Source: Serious Eats — J. Kenji López-Alt, Pasta Alla Norma (Sicilian Pasta With Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata).
A pasta alla norma (sicilian pasta with eggplant, tomatoes, and ricotta salata) recipe for 4 servings, written from a single tested source, with times and temperatures kept as the source set them.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Cook. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 30 cm nonstick or cast iron skillet over a mid-sized flame till shimmering. Tip in as much eggplant as fits in one single layer and add salt till it tastes right. Cook, shaking pan now and then, till eggplant is well browned on both sides, around 10 minutes total.
- 2
Step 2. Move eggplant to a plate and keep to one side. Repeat with leftover eggplant, adding olive oil as necessary, till all eggplant is browned. Add any leftover olive oil and increase heat to medium-high.
- 3
Cook (2). Heat till olive oil is shimmering. Tip in garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook, mixing the whole time, till fragrant but garlic is not browned, around 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, mixing the whole time till uniformly incorporated and tomato paste starts to fry.
- 4
Cook (3). Tip in crushed tomatoes and their juice. Bring to the boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook, mixing now and then, till liquid is thickened into a sauce-like consistency, around 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if it needs it with salt.
- 5
Cook (4). Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil plus heat pasta according to package directions while that is happening. Tip off the liquid pasta, reserving of cooking liquid (1 cup). Return pasta to pot.
- 6
Finish. Tip in sauce to pasta and toss to coat, adding set-aside pasta water as necessary to thin sauce to wanted consistency. Add eggplant slices and toss to mix. Serve pasta promptly, drizzled using extra-virgin olive oil, garnished using grated ricotta salata plus torn basil leaves.
Storage
Keep covered and eat within a few days; freeze leftovers if the dish allows it.
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.22 g salt per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 165 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- scales
- saucepan
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 691 kcal |
| Protein | 18.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 97 g |
| of which sugars | 9.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 26.2 g |
| of which saturates | 4.4 g |
| Fibre | 8.7 g |
| Salt | 0.36 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.6 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
