PENNE BAKED EGGPLANT ALLA NORMA
Sicilian inspired eggplant pasta that makes an excellent vegetarian pasta with hearty eggplant in rich spicy tomato sauce and shaved cheese.
Ingredients
- 2-3 about 2 lbs Eggplant, diced into cubes
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic, about 5-6 cloves
- 1 tsp fennel seeds optional but recommended
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves or Italian herb blend
- 1 tsp hot chili flakes more or less to taste
- 1 tsp honey or sugar to balance flavors
- 3-4 tbsps E.V olive oil more if needed
- 2 14 ounces can whole plum tomatoes, San Marzano preferably
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves torn
- 2-3 tbsp shaved ricotta salata, pecorino or parmesan cheese for garnish
- handful of arugula for contrast
- 8-10 ounces penne or pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Dice the eggplant into cubes. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake the eggplant until slightly golden and soft, about 20-25 minutes.Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add the fennel seeds, garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is lightly golden brown. Add the oregano or Italian herb blend, tomatoes + the juice, honey or sugar, sea salt, and pepper. Bring the heat to a medium simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the baked eggplant and heat the sauce through. Don't over cook the eggplant or it will start to break and disintegrate. Cover and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne or pasta of your choice until al dente, then strain, reserving some cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well, add ½ of the cheese (ricotta, pecorino or parm) and basil leaves, a few tablespoons of the cooking pasta water if the sauce has become too thick.
- Divide between 4 bowls and serve garnished with remains cheese and arugula leaves if you want.
Notes
My kids wanted some meat in the pasta. I added about 8 ounces of ground turkey in step 3 before adding the tomato sauce. Browned the meat along with the spices and garlic before adding the sauce. Cooked the sauce for an additional 8-10 minutes so he meat cooks through.
If you want to add some ground meat I recommend adding a couple of extra cloves of garlic. The pasta is delicious both ways. With or without meat.
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