Pasta alla Norma

Ingredients

• 2 Eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
• 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, sliced
• ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1 can Crushed tomatoes, no salt added
• 12 oz Semolina pasta (dry), rigatoni or penne
• 1 cup Fresh basil, torn
• 3 oz Feta cheese, crumbled, standing in for ricotta salata

Method

1. Toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of the salt and leave it in a colander 20 minutes. Pat it dry. This draws out water so the cubes roast instead of steam, and it seasons them from the inside.
2. Heat the oven to 450°F. Toss the eggplant with 3 tablespoons oil, spread it on a sheet pan, and roast 25 minutes until collapsed and browned at the edges.
3. Meanwhile, warm the last tablespoon of oil with the garlic and pepper flakes over medium until the garlic is barely golden. Add the tomatoes and the remaining half teaspoon of salt and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Boil the pasta one minute short of the package time. Save a mug of the water before draining.
5. Add the pasta and the roasted eggplant to the sauce with a splash of the pasta water. Toss hard over the heat for a minute so the starch in the water emulsifies the sauce onto the pasta.
6. Off the heat, add most of the basil. Serve with crumbled cheese and the rest of the basil on top.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

A mug of pasta water and a hard toss in the pan. That is the difference between sauce sitting on pasta and sauce clinging to it.

🧒 For the kids

Roasted eggplant loses the bitterness and the spongy texture children object to. Chop it small so it disappears into the sauce.

🌿 From the garden

Two eggplants and a basil plant in August, and this dish costs the price of the pasta.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps 3 days. The eggplant softens further and the dish gets better.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.