Easy Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)

Easy Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)

A flavorful and filling way to incorporate eggplant into a delicious dinner. This creamy sundried tomato and eggplant pasta whips up in just 20 minutes making this an easy dinner choice. Vegetarian comfort food you can enjoy year-round.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Recipe Type Casseroles, Garden Harvest, Pasta, Rainy Day, Served Hot, Skillet Dishes, Spicy, Vegetables

Skill Level Easy

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 524kcal

Author Angela G.

Equipment

skillet

Ingredients

Pasta

8 oz ziti reserve ½ cup of water from cooking

Eggplant and Sauce

1 eggplant diced into small pieces
1 white onion minced
2 teaspoon garlic paste
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
4 tablespoon oil from the sundried tomatoes
29 oz tomato purée
2 tablespoon tomato paste
4 oz ricotta cheese
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings

2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese more or less to taste
3.8 oz sliced black olives drained
red pepper flakes to taste for spice (optional)

Instructions

Cook pasta, reserve pasta water. Prepare pasta according to al dente package instruction. Generously salt the water and stir while cooking.
Drain pasta and reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
Cook and season eggplant. Heat a large skillet with 4 tablespoons of the sun dried tomato oil over medium heat.
Sauté eggplant, onion, and garlic until tender. It will take about 6-8 minutes.
Make sauce. Add sliced sundried tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomato purée, tomato paste, ricotta, smoked paprika and cooked pasta and pasta water.
Stir all together and cook until heated through.
Season and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan. If you like olives, add them! If not, it's fine to skip.

Notes

The skin of an eggplant is edible but it can be chewy. So, it's up to you if you want to peel your eggplant or not.
Feel free to add salt to taste.
If you are a cheese-lover, try adding a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese on top before serving.

Nutrition