Pasta alla Norma - Aubergine Pasta

This hearty dish is a gorgeous Sicilian pasta with tender aubergine and a rich tomato sauce, spiked with aromatic basil. Finished with creamy ricotta. It's perfect for an easy, comforting meal. Recipe adapted from Irresistibly Italian, by the Alberti Twins.

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Ingredients

aubergine 1 (cubed)
garlic cloves 2 (crushed)
fresh basil 1 handful (chopped)
tomato purée 2 tbsp
chopped tomatoes 400 g
rigatoni pasta 300 g
chilli flakes ½ tsp
ricotta 60 g

Method

Dice the aubergine into bite-sized pieces. Peel and crush the garlic.
Heat a generous glug of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the aubergine and fry until golden brown and tender. This should take 8 minutes, you may need to add extra oil as aubergines love oil. Once cooked, drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Heat a dash of oil in the same pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain once cooked, reserving some of the pasta cooking water, which you can use to finish the sauce.
Chop the basil, you will use ½ for the sauce and ½ to garnish the finished dish.
Stir ½ the basil and chilli flakes into the sauce, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and aubergine to the sauce and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with some of the pasta cooking water.
Plate up the pasta, then dot the ricotta on top and scatter over the rest of the basil. Enjoy!

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Pasta alla Norma - Aubergine Pasta

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