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Aubergine pasta served with juicy tomato sauce and fresh basil
Classic Mediterranean pasta tossed with golden fried aubergine, tomato sauce, and cheese.

Aubergine pasta (Pasta alla Norma style)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
Aubergine (eggplant) is notorious for sucking up oil due to spongy structure, but with right technique it becomes silky creamy without being heavy. This dish brings sunny Sicilian flavours: deep earthy taste of roasted aubergine meets tomato acidity and salty cheese.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 20 mins
⌛ Total Time 50 mins
🍽️ Servings 5 servings
🔥 Calories 420 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Italian (Pasta alla Norma style)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large frying pan
  • Pot for pasta
  • Kitchen paper

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Milk

Instructions

1 ✓

Cube aubergine (approx. 2x2 cm), salt thoroughly in a bowl, let stand 20 mins.

Tip: Salt draws out water and bitter compounds via osmosis. Aubergine absorbs less oil afterwards.
2 ✓

Rinse aubergine, wipe completely dry with kitchen paper.

Tip: Water is enemy of hot oil (spitting and cooling), so dry it.
3 ✓

Heat oil in pan, fry aubergine cubes golden brown. Remove to kitchen paper.

Tip: Maillard reaction (browning) gives sweet-smoky taste. Don't crowd pan, fry in batches!
4 ✓

In same pan, sauté chopped onion and garlic. Pour on tomato, season, cook 10 mins.

Tip: Tomato sauce needs to thicken to coat pasta.
5 ✓

Meanwhile cook pasta 'al dente'.

Tip: Pasta will soften further in sauce.
6 ✓

Return fried aubergine and drained pasta to finished sauce. Toss together.

Tip: Add aubergine only at end so it doesn't disintegrate completely but keeps texture.

Recipe FAQ

Why became aubergine bitter?
Aubergine (especially older ones) can contain bitter compounds. Salting and resting (squeezing juice) removes this.
Why is it swimming in oil?
Oil wasn't hot enough when frying, or you didn't drain excess on paper.

Ingredients

  • 300 g Dried pasta (spaghetti, penne or rigatoni)
  • 2 pcs (medium) Aubergines
  • 4 tbsp Olive oil (for frying)
  • 1 head Onion
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 400 ml Passata or Chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Dried basil (or fresh)
  • 1 tsp Dried oregano
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper
  • 50 g Grated hard cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino)