Eggplant, Pasta, and Ricotta Salata – Summer In A Plate

Eggplant, pasta, and Ricotta Salata.

With eggplant, tomatoes, a generous amount of ricotta salata, and some basil, this beautiful Italian dish comes together in no time.

Do not be surprised if this dish will become your go-to dinner. The flavors are out of this world.

Italy is rich in recipes. Each region has its specialty and prides itself on the recipes they share with the world.

The recipe I am sharing today is from a dear friend, Luis. He and I have been friends since childhood. He lives in Italy, more specifically in the Abruzzi region.

This pasta with eggplant is an adaptation from Pasta alla Norma. A southern Italy, Sicily dish.

One of the significant differences is that I do not deep fry the eggplant with this recipe, but sautéing them and add the fresh tomatoes and enjoy a short boil.

Making this dish lighter by not deep frying the eggplant and cutting down the cooking process too, which I always enjoy, and I am sure you do too.

You will find crushed red peppers on the pasta alla Norma dish. Sicilian cooking tends to use “peperoncino” or red pepper.

Of course, if you like a kick in your pasta, by all means, add some crushed red pepper to it.

In this Article

Origins of  “Alla Norma”

Norma is the name of a beautiful opera composed by the Sicilian Vincenzo Bellini.

This pasta made with eggplant, a beloved vegetable of Sicily,  was named in honor of the opera.

What is Ricotta Salata?

An Italian cheese made from sheep milk. Milk is richer in fat and protein content.

The milk, which is pressed and salted, is left to rest for up to 90 days. The salt removes up to 50% of the water content, giving us a more complex and harder texture cheese that can be grated.

A specialty of Southern Italy.

Ricotta salata can be enjoyed over pasta or sliced and enjoyed as is.

Ricotta Salata substitute.

If you cannot find ricotta salata, substitute with feta, with is very similar or Pecorino Romano.

Eggplant is used to make this pasta recipe.

I love quick dishes, and to make this dish faster without compromising the flavor, I am using small eggplants or Japanese eggplant.

Why, you may ask? Simple. I do not need to salt them to draw out excess moisture, so the eggplant can have a more robust flavor and a softer texture.

This process can take up to an hour, and by using the Japanese eggplant, which tastes the same, you will eliminate the salting hour-long process.

A quick note about the tomatoes

Use fresh tomatoes anytime you can. By reading the instructions below,  you will notice that I am blanching, or par-boiling, the tomatoes with an “x” scored on the bottom of the tomato.

This will facilitate removing the skin of the tomato more easily.

This will give a smoother and more uniform texture to your sauce. The tomato skins are tough and harder to chew, and it will also remove the fitter flavor.

Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions to achieve this excellent recipe of eggplant

This recipe is super easy to make, and here are a few suggestions to ensure great success while preparing it.

• I used the smaller eggplants and diced them to about 1″ squares. I used them immediately and did not let them sit covered with salt for one hour.
• Scored a large X on the bottom of the tomatoes and blanched them in hot water for a couple of minutes. You do not want to cook, just the skin to come off.
• Run under cold water the tomatoes and remove the skin. It should come off like a glove.
• While the pasta water is coming to a boil and I start cooking my penne pasta, I am sautéing the onions until translucent in a large skillet.
• Add the small eggplant squares to the onion and cook for a few minutes.
• I am adding tomatoes and some cooking water to prevent it from drying out.
• Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer’s instructions, minus two minutes. You want your pasta to be al dente, and it will continue cooking once added to the eggplant. Reserve a cup of pasta boiling water.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the eggplant-tomato mixture. Stir well.

Serve on large pasta bowls and be very generous with the ricotta salata cheese sprinkled over it.

Storage instructions

Store leftover fried shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

Equipment used to make this delicious eggplant pasta

Frequently Asked Questions

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Originally published on August 20, 2020. Updated on July 1, 2023.