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Easy Traditional Spaghetti Alla Norma

Garlicky deliciously tender eggplants with tomato sauce paired with fork-twisting pasta. Think sweet juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and all the flavors of Italy in one simple easy-to-make vegan dinner. Golden roasted eggplants and a savory tomato sauce make this easy vegan pasta recipe a totally slurp-worthy 30-minutes dinner.

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Easy Traditional Spaghetti Alla Norma is a flavor-loaded, super simple real food recipe that only requires 7 easy-to-get ingredients: pasta, eggplants / aubergines, onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil. It’s a healthy, silky, creamy, savory tomato sauce-bathed pasta with tender flavor soaked eggplants that has its roots firmly in the Italian kitchen. It’s a great authentic, traditional, and naturally vegan pasta sauce (for a fully vegan dish you just need to use vegan spaghetti). And if you’re feeling extra authentic a generous garnish of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is the classic way to go. 

If you’re anything like me you adore everything that makes your daily life easier and tastier. I’m all about making every single day as tasty as possible, but I also want my dinner to be easy and quick to make. Most days I don’t have a whole lot of time to make dinner, but I still want a healthy meal that’s packed full of flavors and nutrients. And if it’s a meal prep-friendly dinner all the better. This easy vegan eggplant pasta is all that and more. It’s a full-flavored, rich, and satisfying vegan dinner that’s ready in 30-minutes or less.

This authentic Sicilian pasta is especially for you if enjoy;

  • slurp-worthy pasta
  • Golden nuggets of roasted eggplants 
  • Savory flavors 
  • Simple cooking 
  • Easy budget-friendly dinners
  • Vegan food that’s loaded with taste
  • Creamy savory tomato sauce
  • Quick ready in under 30-minutes meals 

Pasta Alla Norma

Roasted eggplants. Long strands of tender pasta noodles. Savory tomato sauce. Onions and garlic, and of course lots of herbs. It’s a simple, classic Italian pasta dish that originated in Sicily. It doesn’t get much better, easier, or tastier than this vegetarian traditional pasta that tastes like a small bite of Italy. It’s a crowd-pleaser recipe that always makes everyone happy…even the die heart meat-eaters. With its creamy, savory, and flavor-packed simple ingredients list this pasta is my go-to quick last-minute dinner that always tastes like I put in a lot of time and effort without doing much. Just how I like it on a busy day.

How to make spaghetti Alla Norma gluten-free 

This delicious sauce is naturally gluten-free, so all you have to do is use gluten-free pasta or spaghetti. There are several tasty gluten-free pasta options and you can use whichever one you prefer.

Some of my favorites are:

  • Rice noodles
  • Chickpea spaghetti 
  • Lentil spaghetti 
  • Corn pasta

Meal prep friendly aubergine pasta

Yes, you read that correctly. This easy vegan pasta is meal prep friendly. You can easily make it on the weekend and freeze it for later. Just add a 1/2 cup of water to the dish and reheat it in the oven for 30-minutes or until the pasta is warmed all the way through.

How to prepare the eggplants for pasta Alla Norma

The eggplants can be prepared in two different ways. My favorite way, and the one I use in this recipe, is to roast the eggplants in the oven. It creates the most golden, roasted, and deliciously tender eggplants if you ask me. But another way to cook the eggplants is to fry them at high heat on a frying pan or grill pan for 8-10 minutes until they are golden on the outside and tender on the inside. It will cut down the cooking time by up to 10-minutes, so it’s a great quick-cooking hack if you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table. 

Let’s get into the important stuff. How to cook pasta Alla Norma 

Preheat oven to 450F (240C) and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the cubed eggplants on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat all the eggplants and bake in the oven for 20 minutes (toss them over halfway through).

While the eggplants are roasting, heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the red onions and let them sweat at medium heat while stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Next, add the garlic to the pan and fry for one minute. Season with thyme, oregano, pepper, and sea salt and mix together. 

Next, add the capers and red wine vinegar. Pour in the passata or canned tomatoes and stir to combine.

Bring the sauce to a boil before adding the water. Add brown sugar if needed (if the tomatoes are sweet you might not need to add sugar). Let the sauce simmer at low heat until the eggplants are done. 

Cook spaghetti as instructed on the packaging.

Once the eggplants are roasted, remove them from the oven and add them to the pasta sauce. Top the sauce generously over the cooked pasta and garnish with fresh chopped basil. 

Enjoy.

Easy Traditional Spaghetti Alla Norma

Garlicky deliciously tender eggplants with tomato sauce paired with fork-twisting pasta. Think sweet juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and all the flavors of Italy in one simple easy-to-make vegan dinner. Golden roasted eggplants and a savory tomato sauce make this easy vegan pasta recipe a totally slurp-worthy 30-minutes dinner.
Easy Traditional Spaghetti Alla Norma is a flavor-loaded, super simple real food recipe that only requires 7 easy-to-get ingredients: pasta, eggplants / aubergines, onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil. It’s a healthy, silky, creamy, savory tomato sauce-bathed pasta with tender flavor soaked eggplants that has its roots firmly in the Italian kitchen.
Simone – Munchyesta.com
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Serving Size 4 people

Ingredients

  • 10oz (300g) Spaghetti Noodles
  • 2-3 medium Eggplants / Aubergines Cut into rough 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic Minced
  • 24oz (700g) Canned chopped Tomatoes or tomato passata
  • 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • ¼ cup Water
  • 1 tbsp Capers optional
  • 2 tsp Thyme
  • 2 tsp Oregano
  • ½ tsp Sea salt or Kosher Salt
  • ½ tsp Ground Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar only if needed
  • 1 bunch Fresh Basil Chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450F (240C) and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the cubed eggplants on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat all the eggplants and bake in the oven for 20 minutes (toss them over halfway through).
  • While the eggplants are roasting, heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the red onions and let them sweat at medium heat while stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Next, add the garlic to the pan and fry for one minute. Season with thyme, oregano, pepper, and sea salt and mix together. 
    Next, add the capers and red wine vinegar. Pour in the passata or canned tomatoes and stir to combine.
  • Bring the sauce to a boil before adding the water. Add brown sugar if needed (if the tomatoes are sweet you might not need to add sugar). Let the sauce simmer at low heat until the eggplants are done. 
  • Cook spaghetti as instructed on the packaging.
    Once the eggplants are roasted, remove them from the oven and add them to the pasta sauce. Top the sauce generously over the cooked pasta and garnish with fresh chopped basil. 
    Enjoy.

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