View the print-ready version of this recipe.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Flavor—A Mediterranean recipe with intense, distinctly Italian flavors: tomato, eggplant, basil, and lots of flavor from the salted ricotta. The final taste is unique due to the sweetish flavor of the ripe tomatoes with the contrast of salt from the cheese that will melt in your mouth with every forkful.
- Easy and Quick—This easy Pasta Alla Norma recipe requires no skill nor any special kitchen tools.
- Vegetarian Recipe—Naturally vegetarian, and with gluten-free pasta, it is suitable for people with Celiac disease.
Choose High-quality Ingredients
- Tomatoes: Use very ripe tomatoes or some tomato sauce, e.g., Mutti.
- Salted Ricotta: It must be salted and preferably made from sheep’s milk if you can find it.
- Eggplant: Pasta Alla Norma requires fresh, intact eggplant, purple, and slightly oval, Italian-type eggplant.
- Basil: It must be fresh; otherwise, the flavor will be less intense.
- Oil: It must be an extra virgin olive oil to preserve the flavors of the original recipe.
- Pasta: It must be ribbed (penne or rigatoni) so it will hold and absorb the sauce better.
How to Make Pasta Alla Norma
Chop Tomatoes: Remove the stems but leave the skin on. Coarsely chop them and remove the seeds under running water. Cook Pasta.
Courtesy of Lauren Allen
