Sicilian Eggplant Pasta alla Norma

Why You’ll Like It

• Roasted eggplant – This is one of my favorite veggies in sommer or whenever I can find a good eggplant. I love to make my Eggplant Sicilian Pasta for a light nutritious dinner.
• Easy – The recipe uses way less than 10 ingredients and after a few tries you won’t need looking at the recipe any longer. 
• Healthy comfort food – This recipe easily transforms into a low-carb option by using keto-friendly pasta or zoodles. Even with regular pasta, it’s under 70g per serving, and the combination of tomato sauce, roasted eggplants (replacing the traditional fried eggplants), and ricotta salata creates a delightful blend of seasonal vegetables and protein!
• Great way to introduce kids to eggplant – Presenting it as a red sauce pasta with cheese makes it easier to get children to try eggplant for the first time!

For The Perfect Sicilian Eggplant Pasta

• The recipe calls for medium-sized eggplants. In fact larger ones often have a more bitter taste. If you find your eggplants tend to be bitter, simply slice them, sprinkle salt on each side, and let them sit to allow the bitterness to drain. Be sure to rinse and pat them dry well before roasting. Eggplant can be cut into rounds or cubes, though the traditional version calls for slicing them.
• To make this dish more FODMAP-friendly, you could opt for a tomato puree or marinara sauce without garlic and onions, gluten-free pasta, and limit or omit ricotta salata in favor of Parmesan cheese since the former has higher lactose.
• If the sauce is a little acidic. Add 1 level teaspoon of sugar to balance the acidity, or ¼ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to neutralize the acid without adding sweetness.
• Homemade marinara sauce. If you want to make your own marinara sauce use the optional ingredients and method in the recipe card.  For a smooth, velvety sauce, it’s essential to pass the cooked tomatoes through a very fine mesh vegetable mill.
• Tomatoes. The ideal tomato for this dish is the ribbed Catanese variety, though other types work well too.
• Pasta. You can use different pasta shapes like sedanini, fusilli, or spaghetti. While fresh pasta is preferred, dried pasta works just as well, as we’ve done here.
• Garlic adds the signature flavor to Pasta alla Norma, but feel free to adjust the amount if you’d like a milder taste.
• The egglplant flavored oil. For an extra boost of flavor, add a small drizzle of the oil used to fry the eggplant to the tomato puree—this is the secret to an exceptional Pasta alla Norma!
• What ricotta to use? For an authentic Pasta alla Norma, use a generous grating of salted ricotta, ideally made from Sicilian sheep’s milk. This adds the perfect tangy flavor to the dish. Sprinkle the cheese directly over the plates for the best results. If you can’t find salted ricotta, I recommend mixing equal parts of regular ricotta with Parmesan or Pecorino cheese to achieve a similar flavor and texture.

What You Need

• Tomato Sauce – For an IBS-friendly option, I recommend using tomato puree. I also add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda while cooking the sauce, which helps reduce acid reflux and heartburn. Alternatively, you can use store-bought marinara sauce or try my quick homemade marinara, found in the recipe card.

• Eggplant – The recipe calls for two medium eggplants. If you find that the eggplants in your area are bitter, it’s best to salt them and let them drain for 30 minutes before roasting. Be sure to rinse and pat them dry. If your kids aren’t fans of eggplant, cut the pieces larger so they can be easily removed, allowing everyone to enjoy the dish together.

• Oil – Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil—there’s no substitute for its flavor and richness.

• Pasta – Spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or traditional rigatoni work well for this dish. Use gluten-free pasta for gluten intolerances, or try zoodles for a lower-carb, fiber-rich option.

• Basil – Always use fresh basil for this recipe. I don’t recommend substituting it with dried basil. Some suggest using cilantro, but for an authentic taste, fresh basil is essential.

• Spices – This dish doesn’t need many spices if you’re using high-quality ingredients like tomatoes, olive oil, basil, ricotta, and garlic. You can skip the red pepper flakes or dried herbs found in other recipes, but feel free to add a pinch of your favorite spice if desired.

• Cheese – Ricotta salata can be hard to find outside the Mediterranean, and even when available, it may not be the same aged variety used in Sicily. If you can’t find it, mix store-bought ricotta with Pecorino or Parmesan cheese to achieve a similar flavor.

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