Italy · The dish

Pasta alla Norma

A defining Sicilian pasta dish is pasta alla Norma.

Serves
4
Total
45 min
Difficulty
Easy
Diet
Plant-based
No. 002
A bowl of pasta alla Norma with aubergine and basil

Skip the carbonara fight. Sicily's Norma was basically vegan before anyone needed the word.

Fried aubergine, tomato, basil and a shower of salty ricotta salata over pasta — named, the story goes, after Bellini's opera because it was a masterpiece.

Only the ricotta salata stands between it and fully plant-based, and a good aged vegan hard cheese or toasted breadcrumbs does the job. The aubergine was always carrying the dish.

By The Cardinal Atlas deskEvergreen entry · reviewed for accuracy

The recipe

Prep
15m
Cook
30m
Difficulty
easy
Serves4
  • 2 largeAubergines (cubed, salted, fried)
  • 400 gTinned San Marzano tomatoes
  • 400 gRigatoni or maccheroni
  • a bunchFresh basil
  • to finishAged vegan hard cheese (or toasted breadcrumbs)

Method

  1. 1Salt the cubed aubergine 20 min, pat dry, fry in good oil until deep gold. Drain.
  2. 2Simmer tomatoes with garlic and a torn basil stalk until jammy, 20 min.
  3. 3Cook pasta to al dente; reserve a mugful of water.
  4. 4Fold pasta, sauce and most of the aubergine together, loosen with pasta water.
  5. 5Top with the rest of the aubergine, basil and grated vegan cheese or breadcrumbs.

The swaps

OriginalPlant-basedWhy it works
Ricotta salataAged vegan hard cheese or toasted breadcrumbsBoth bring the salty-dry finish the dish is named for.

Tips

  • Don't skip salting the aubergine — it's the difference between silky and greasy.
Make it
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Good to know

What is Italy's food?

A defining Sicilian pasta dish is pasta alla Norma.

Why does it matter?

Only the ricotta salata stands between it and fully plant-based, and a good aged vegan hard cheese or toasted breadcrumbs does the job. The aubergine was always carrying the dish.

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