Quick pasta alla Norma

Name: Quick pasta alla Norma
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 180 g Dry wheat spaghetti; 350 g Aubergine; 300 g Tomato passata; 8 g Garlic; 10 g Fresh basil; 28 g Olive oil; 60 g Ricotta salata, vegetarian-labelled; 3 g Salt; 1 g Black pepper

Sicilian-style spaghetti with seared aubergine, tomato, basil and grated vegetarian ricotta salata.

Estimated total time: 30 minutes2 portionsAbout 630 kcal per portion

Pasta alla Norma topped with aubergine, grated cheese and basil — Photo: 8w9d · CC0 · Photo source. The photograph uses short ring-shaped pasta while this version uses spaghetti; its cheese type and rennet are unverified.

Ingredients for 2 portions

180 g Dry wheat spaghetti
350 g Aubergine
300 g Tomato passata
8 g Garlic
10 g Fresh basil
28 g Olive oil
60 g Ricotta salata, vegetarian-labelled
3 g Salt
1 g Black pepper

Method

Cut 350 g aubergine into 1 cm cubes, mince 8 g garlic and tear 10 g basil. Bring a large pot of water to the boil for 180 g dry spaghetti. Grate 60 g vegetarian-labelled ricotta salata.
Heat 20 g olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Brown the aubergine in one layer for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until soft and golden; use two batches if the pan is small. Add 8 g remaining oil and the garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in 300 g passata, 2 g salt and 1 g pepper. Simmer for 6–8 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente according to its packet, usually 8–11 minutes. Reserve a little pasta water, drain and toss with the sauce, adding water only if needed. Divide between two plates; finish with basil and 30 g grated ricotta salata per person.
Choose ricotta salata explicitly labelled vegetarian or made from a vegetarian whey/rennet process. If such a product is unavailable, omit the cheese only after recalculating the listed calories and milk allergen; this published version includes it.

A 30-minute, pan-seared adaptation of the Catanian classic, which traditionally fries aubergine and uses salted ricotta. The source recipe takes about 50 minutes and optional aubergine salting adds more time. The photograph has short pasta rather than the measured spaghetti, and cannot verify its cheese production. The 306 kcal/100 g ricotta value is from a representative vegetarian-labelled product; all timing and energy values are estimates, not kitchen-tested.

Pasta alla Norma

Allergens and ingredient checks

Listed allergens: gluten, milk. Check actual packaging and cross-contact information. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient weights; recipe suitability depends on the specified products.

La Cucina Italiana — Pasta alla Norma, original Sicilian recipe

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