Simply Pasta is a monthly recipe column in which Best of Vegan contributor Teri-Ann Carty delves into her 20-year experience in fine dining and shares her best practices and recipes for making amazing pasta. In the new installment of Simply Pasta, she introduces us to her version of a classic Sicilian pasta dish: Spaghetti Alla Norma.
Simply Pasta – Spaghetti Alla Norma
Most pasta dishes are made with simple ingredients. The noodle is a vehicle to carry the flavours. Keeping things clean, simple and direct is the name of the game and this month’s pasta is exactly that.
A Sicilian Classic, Veganized
There are many variations of this classic Sicilian pasta dish but the main ingredients are eggplant, tomatoes and cheese. Ricotta salata is normally used but since we are VEGANO over here I opted for vegan cubed feta; it worked out perfectly. The traditionalist would use Sicilian eggplant which is shaped like a purple globe, but I used a regular eggplant and it worked just as well. Taking the time to salt the eggplant to draw out the moisture is good for the dish but not necessary IF you’re in a rush. I added chickpeas (not normally in Norma) because I love adding a protein source whenever I can, but you can omit it if you want!
If you are lucky enough to have a garden with fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, and perhaps even eggplant, this is the perfect summer dish. If you happen to have an air-fryer, I strongly recommend using it to cook your eggplant to keep the oven OFF. It cuts down on cook time but also doesn’t create any extra heat in your already warm kitchen.
LET’S GO!
What you’ll need:
- Spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Chili flakes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Eggplant
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chickpeas
- Kalamata olives
- Spinach or arugula
- Vegan feta or other vegan cheese
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
Spaghetti Alla Norma
Ingredients
- 400 grams Spaghetti
- 3 tbsp olive oil more to garnish
- 1 pinch chili flakes
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 eggplant cubed salted and pat dry
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- Fistful spinach or arugula
- 1/2 cup cubed vegan feta or other vegan cheese
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
Instructions
- Wash eggplant and cut into inch cubes. Place eggplant into a colander and generously sprinkle salt. Allow the eggplant to hang for 20-30 minutes. In the meantime bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Lightly rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Preheat the Air-fryer for 3 minutes, coat the eggplant with 1 tbsp olive oil and air-fry for 15 minutes, shaking basket half way.
- Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion and chili flakes and cook until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add in tomatoes, cooked eggplant, chickpeas and olives. Toss to combine. Add in cooked pasta, spinach and cubed feta toss to coat. Add in olives, fresh basil and more cheese if desired.
- Transfer to bowls and season with salt, cracked pepper, chili flakes and a drizzle of your best olive oil.
Notes
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Recipe, text, and photography by Teri-Ann Carty.
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