Pasta Alla Norma

I love this pasta with eggplant dish. Over the years I have grown to love eggplant and this is one dish that I absolutely enjoy! Pasta, sauce and eggplant…how can you go wrong? Using my Tomato Sauce recipe as the base, the only other ingredients you need are pasta, eggplant and cheese! 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized eggplants (sliced 1/2″ thick)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup of olive oil (eggplant absorbs a lot of oil when pan frying)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 – 3 cups Tomato Sauce
• 16 ozs pasta (I like penne or any pasta you like)
• 1/2 cup grated Ricotta Salata or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Instructions:

1. Lay out the sliced eggplant on a cheese cloth or paper towel. Salt generously on both sides of the slices and lay on cloth in a single layer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep non-stick fry pan or saute pan. Add eggplant in a single layer careful not to over-crowd, add more oil as needed.
3. Cook the eggplant in batches until soft and brown on both sides. Remove from pot and set aside on a clean plate (see picture below).
4. In a large pasta pot add water and salt and heat to boiling.
5. Add pasta and cook per package instructions.
6. After cooking the eggplant, add tomato sauce to the pan and add 1/2 cup water. Cook until heated through. Heat should be at low after sauce is heated through.
7. After pasta is boiled, scoop into the sauce and mix until pasta is fully covered with sauce. If you like your pasta with more sauce add a bit more. If too thick you can thin out with a bit of pasta water.
8. Add eggplant and mix until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Top with cheese and fresh basil and serve.