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Giuseppe Federici’s pasta alla norma delivers a delicious vegan twist on the classic Sicilian dish. Inspired by his grandmother’s Italian cooking, this recipe from his Cooking With Nonna cookbook leaves out all animal products. Traditionally, pasta alla norma uses fried aubergines and tomato sauce, and this vegan version stays true to those flavors. With the addition of two different vegan cheeses, this plant-based pasta is the ultimate comfort food recipe.
Read more: 23 Comforting Vegan Pasta Recipes
To make this dish, you’ll fry the aubergines until tender, giving them a meaty texture that absorbs the rich tomato and garlic sauce. Eggplants make a great meat substitute in plant-based diets, offering a hearty bite. While many Mediterranean dishes are already vegan or vegetarian, it’s wonderful to have fully vegan options like this one. And, because a lot of pasta is vegan, radiatori and penne make ideal choices for this wholesome, comforting dish.
This pasta recipe shines with its simplicity. Using ingredients like aubergines, tomatoes, and fresh basil, it’s easy to prepare. Vegan Parmesan and buratta adds a savory touch, and the crispy eggplants give the dish great texture.
Read more: 10 Vegan Eggplant Recipes
Pasta alla norma
Ingredients
- 2–3 large aubergines
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2x 400g tins of tomatoes
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of sugar
- Salt and black pepper
- 3–4 fresh basil leaves plus more to serve
- Olive oil for the sauce
- Vegetable oil for the aubergines
- 250 g radiatori or penne pasta
- Vegan Parmesan to serve
- 1 Julienne Bruno vegan burrella
Instructions
- Peel the skin off the aubergines — it doesn’t matter if some bits of skin remain, we’re keeping it rustic just like Nonna does.
- Cut the aubergines lengthways about 1cm thick. Place them in a bowl and cover with cold water, then add a generous amount of salt (about 1-2 tablespoons). Make sure the slices are all covered — you want to give them a salty bath for about 10 minutes.
- Thinly slice the garlic and fry in olive oil on a medium heat for 1 minute, then add the tinned tomatoes along with 1 tin’s worth of water and bring to a low simmer.
- After 10 minutes of soaking, drain the aubergines, place them on a tea towel, and pat lightly to drain any remaining liquid.
- Get a pan of vegetable oil on a medium-high heat and fry the aubergine slices for 2-4 minutes each side until well colored — you’re looking for a deep brown color. Once cooked, pop them on a plate lined with a piece of kitchen paper and repeat the process until they’re all cooked — this will take a while, so be patient.
- Once the tomato sauce is bubbling, add sugar, salt, and pepper, tear in the basil leaves and bicarbonate of soda and stir, then reduce the heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the aubergines into small chunks.
- Once the pasta is cooked, transfer it directly to the pan of tomato sauce, then add the chopped aubergines and mix everything together. Serve with more fresh basil, your vegan burrella, and grated Parmesan.
This recipe was republished with permission from Giuseppe Federici. You can find his new cookbook Cooking With Nonna here and a link to his Instagram here.
