A Sicilian favourite, our take on a traditional Pasta alla Norma recipe is served with chunky tortiglioni, but you could use spaghetti or your favourite pasta shape.
This aubergine and caper pasta sauce has a slight kick to it with the chilli flakes, and whilst it takes a little longer to make than other speedy pasta dishes, it's worth the wait, and still easy and quick enough to whip up for a midweek meal, and the rich, comforting taste makes it well worth the effort!
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Cal/Serv:
426
Ingredients
2Tbsp.
olive oil
2
large aubergines, trimmed and cut into 1.5-2cm pieces
300g
tortiglioni pasta
Large handful basil
2
garlic cloves, crushed
1Tbsp.
non-pareille capers, drained
1/4
-1/2tsp dried chilli flakes, to taste
400g
tin chopped tomatoes
1Tbsp.
red wine vinegar
50g
Pecorino Romano, finely grated
Directions
Step 1Heat 1tbsp oil in a large, wide casserole dish or frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the aubergine and a large pinch of salt and fry, stirring occasionally, for 10-15min, or until golden and tender.
Step 2Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water.
Step 3Pick the basil leaves from the stems. Finely slice the steams and set the leaves aside. Add the remaining 1tbsp oil to the aubergine dish/pan and stir in the garlic, basil stems, capers, chilli flakes and some seasoning. Fry for 1min, then stir in the tomatoes and vinegar.
Step 4Cook over low-medium heat for 10-15min, or until pulpy and thick.
Step 5Add the pasta and a splash of the reserved cooking water to the aubergine dish/pan. Tear in most of the basil leaves and add 1/2 the Pecorino Romano. Toss to combine and check seasoning.
Step 6Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with remaining basil leaves and cheese. Serve.
TIPS
Pecorino Romano cheese has a distinctive sharp salty flavour that goes really well with the rich sauce, but you could swap it for Parmesan (or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese), or crumble over some feta instead.
Want to make this meaty? Fry some pancetta or diced guanciale with the aubergines at step 1.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
