Created with De Cecco
Pasta night at my house is a very important night. Every Sunday, we have a pasta dish, but like to switch up what exactly the dish is. It’s always fun to experiment with new ingredients, with pasta always being the constant.
So it is pretty important for me to use premium pasta, like De Cecco Authentic Italian Dry Pasta. Since 1886, De Cecco has made its pasta in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The 130-year-old company still uses its original family recipe and high-quality ingredients to create a variety of pasta types.
De Cecco pasta is made with only the best coarse durum semolina, whereas flour is used in most other ordinary pasta brands. This translates into De Cecco being a firmer pasta that doesn’t get mushy or fall apart, even if you overcook it by a minute or two.
This week, I had a hankering for eggplant, so I decided to make Pasta Alla Norma. Pasta Alla Norma is a pasta dish with fried eggplant slices tossed in a chunky tomato sauce. The dish is topped with grated ricotta salata and basil.
Note: Ricotta Salata in America doesn’t pack as much punch as its Italian counterpart. If you can find it, go for an Aged Ricotta Salata. If not, use a bit of grated pecorino Romano along with your Ricotta Salata.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium sized eggplants (look for ones that feel heavy for their size)
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 (28 oz) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 (16 oz) box De Cecco spaghetti
- ¼ cup thinly sliced basil
- ¼ cup grated ricotta salata
- ¼ cup grated pecorino Romano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Slice the eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the olive oil is shimmering, add as much eggplant as you can fit in a single layer (you don’t want to crowd the pan). Season with salt.
Cook until the eggplant is well-browned and soft, about 12-15 minutes in total, flipping half way through. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to get it to cook faster; you want it evenly browned. If the eggplant soaks up all the oil, add more to the pan.
Remove and add to a plate (do not drain on paper towels). Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding olive oil as needed.
When the salted water is boiling, add your De Cecco spaghetti pasta.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When all of the eggplant is cooked and removed from the pan, add your garlic and crushed red pepper to what is left of the olive oil and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the can of whole tomatoes and the oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
When the pasta is finished cooking, drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and toss to combine.
Add the reserved eggplant and toss. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water and toss to combine. Serve, topped with basil, ricotta salata, and pecorino Romano.
The eggplant in this is addicting! This is a simple recipe that brings so much flavor. The firmness of the De Cecco spaghetti lets it stand up to the chunkier (and honestly, mushier) aspects of this dish.
I absolutely love this recipe. The simplicity of the ingredients makes this an approachable comfort food meal that feels like it was made in a grandmother’s kitchen, but can be made in under an hour.
De Cecco makes quite a few pasta shapes, from spaghetti to fusilli and everything in between, so you can experiment with your favorite in this recipe (I’d suggest trying this with rigatoni). They also have some great “soup pastas” like a mini farfalle (bow tie pasta). Look for them at your local grocer with the other dried pastas.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you in partnership with De Cecco. All opinions are mine alone.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized eggplants (look for ones that feel heavy for their size)
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 (28 oz) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 (16 oz) box De Cecco spaghetti
- ¼ cup thinly sliced basil
- ¼ cup grated ricotta salata
- ¼ cup grated pecorino Romano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Slice the eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the olive oil is shimmering, add as much eggplant as you can fit in a single layer (you don’t want to crowd the pan). Season with salt.
- Cook until the eggplant is well-browned and soft, about 12-15 minutes in total, flipping half way through. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to get it to cook faster; you want it evenly browned. If the eggplant soaks up all the oil, add more to the pan.
- Remove and add to a plate (do not drain on paper towels). Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding olive oil as needed.
- When the salted water is boiling, add your De Cecco spaghetti pasta.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When all of the eggplant is cooked and removed from the pan, add your garlic and crushed red pepper to what is left of the olive oil and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the can of whole tomatoes and the oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and toss to combine.
- Add the reserved eggplant and toss. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water and toss to combine. Serve, topped with basil, ricotta salata, and pecorino Romano.
What do you think?