Pasta Alla Norma… my version!

Pasta Alla Norma is one of my fav pasta dishes. I always buy eggplant when I am grocery shopping and this is one of my go-to ways to use it.

There are many recipes for Pasta Alla Norma. Some of the recipes are a but involved, but I really just wanted a quick supper using one pan ( except for the pot that I cooked the pasta in) Also, I had to see what ingredients I had in the house! I only wanted to make enough for the two of us since I only had one eggplant. We did have leftovers so great for lunch the next day.

This Pasta Alla Norma is parve & vegan! You can garnish your serving with some grated parmesan cheese if you like!

I used a tubular pasta but you can use spaghetti or linguini if you want! Also, I use a can of grape tomatoes which I love using but if you do not have that you can use a can of diced tomatoes… just a small can, 398 ml/14 oz. Since this is a recipe for 2 you won’t be making a large amount of sauce so that is why you only need a small can of tomatoes! If you only have a large can you can use half & save the rest for something else!

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound pasta *** I used tubular pasta you can use spaghetti or linguini if you like

2 tbsp oil, I used a neutral oil & more as needed

1 med size globe eggplant, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces

1 398 ml/14 oz can of cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp or more of granulated garlic powder

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 large handful of fresh spinach *** this is not in the traditional Pasta Alla Norma recipe but I like adding spinach to recipes so this can be optional

1/2 cup pasta water

2 tbsp sliced fresh basil or if you don’t have fresh basil add some dried basil … just shake someone!

Method

1. Boil your pasta while you are making the sauce
2. In a large skillet add the oil & the eggplant. Sauce the eggplant until it is tender & starts to brown. Add more oil as needed. Stir often
3. Once the eggplant is cooked, add the can of tomatoes & 1/4 cup of water. Squish the tomatoes with a spatula & add the oregano, garlic, salt & sugar. cook. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes,
4. Add the handful of spinach, mix well & cook until the spinach is wilted
5. Now add your pasta, if you drain the pasta reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet & mix well. Add pasta water starting with1/2 cup. Mix well until the the sauce thickens up. If it gets too thick you can add some more pasta water but just a bit at a time, you don’t want the sauce to be watery.
6. Mix in the fresh basil until it wilts. Taste & season if necessary with more salt. *** Murray added some truffle salt & loved it!

Enjoy!

If you noticed the basil I used you could see that I have a unit on the counter to grow some herbs right in my kitchen. Well, you can grow many other things as well, vegetables & flowers too. This is a Click & Grow Smart Garden. I have the 3 pod unit It is available in bigger sizes too. I purchase plant pods that have the seed & growing medium. Then it goes into the Click & Grow. There is a watering spot on the side & the light is on a timer. I have grown dill, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, leaf lettuce & basil so far! Here is a link to this on Amazon if you are interested. This is an affiliate link.. meaning I will get a small commission if you buy this through this link.