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Italian

Pasta alla Norma

Vegetarian

A Sicilian favourite of short pasta in tomato and basil sauce with soft fried aubergine, topped with salty grated ricotta salata.

Pasta alla Norma is an Italian pasta dish from Italy, ready in about 50 minutes and made with eggplant, canned tomatoes and ricotta salata. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Pasta alla Norma, Catanese pasta dish
Photo: 8w9d / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
632

Ingredients

4 servings

For the cooking water

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the aubergine (opens in a new tab) cubes with half the salt. Heat most of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the aubergine in batches over medium-high heat until deep golden and soft. Drain on paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a saucepan (opens in a new tab), warm the remaining oil with the garlic (opens in a new tab), add the tomatoes, remaining salt and a few basil (opens in a new tab) leaves and simmer until thick.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cook the pasta (opens in a new tab) in salted boiling water until al dente and drain.

    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Fold most of the aubergine (opens in a new tab) into the sauce, then toss with the pasta (opens in a new tab). Serve topped with the remaining aubergine, torn basil (opens in a new tab) and plenty of grated cheese.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Sicily (Catania), Italy · Commonly attributedAssociated with Catania; the name is popularly linked to Bellini's opera Norma.More food from Italy
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Main courses
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Simmered, Boiled
Taste
savoury, sweet & savoury, herby, salty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday
Cook more with
Eggplant · Canned tomatoes · Garlic · Basil · Dried pasta
Techniques
Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom ricotta salata
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

632 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 462 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 53%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy632 kcal137 kcal
Protein17.2 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate85.3 g18.5 g
Net carbohydrate73.7 g15.9 g
Sugars12.9 g2.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre11.7 g2.5 g
Fat25.8 g5.6 g
Saturated fat5.2 g1.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol13 mg3 mg
Sodium1024 mg222 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
947 mg
Calcium
164 mg
Iron
4.5 mg
Magnesium
97 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
61 µg
Vitamin C
20 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
419 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Ricotta salata: Feta used as a stand-in; ricotta salata is a pressed, salted and aged ricotta with a similarly firm, salty character.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Fry the aubergine in batches so it browns rather than steams.

Common mistakes

  • Under-cooking the aubergine — it should be completely creamy inside.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Variations

  • Baked aubergine: Roast the oiled aubergine cubes at 220 °C for a lighter version.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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