Pasta alla Norma

In this video, I’m making one of Sicily’s most iconic pasta dishes: Pasta alla Norma — a rich, rustic blend of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, fresh basil, and a generous topping of ricotta salata (or a worthy substitute!). It’s a dish that proves simple ingredients can deliver extraordinary flavor.

This recipe honors the classic preparation: I fry the eggplant until golden, then fold it into a silky tomato sauce that clings to perfectly al dente rigatoni. The final touch? A snowfall of salty aged cheese and torn basil. Pure southern Italian comfort.

Did you know? Pasta alla Norma was named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma”, and it hails from Catania, Sicily—Bellini’s hometown. It’s said that a 19th-century Sicilian playwright exclaimed, “This is a real Norma!” after tasting this masterpiece of a meal. And honestly? He wasn’t wrong.

I’ve been cooking my way through Italy’s most beloved traditional pasta recipes—and Pasta alla Norma is one of my absolute favorites. From carbonara to amatriciana, I’m diving deep into regional classics—and there are still so many more I can’t wait to try.

If you love Italian cooking, traditional recipes, and the magic of homemade pasta dishes, you’re in the right place. Subscribe and cook along with me as I continue exploring Italy’s incredible culinary heritage.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more pasta traditions, one dish at a time.

#PastaAllaNorma #ItalianCooking #TraditionalPastaRecipe #SicilianFood #EggplantPasta

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Click here for my Spaghetti alla Nerano (Fried Zucchini Pasta)!

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Other times my background music is white listed from the YouTube audio library.

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About Lia Noelle
Hello! My name is Lia and I love all things food! Join me in the kitchen as I make some delicious recipes and try different foods.

Pasta alla Norma

Lia Noelle Cooking
https://www.youtube.com/c/LiaNoelleCooking

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[Music] Hi everyone, my name is Leah and welcome to the kitchen. Recently, I was browsing through my local grocery store and I saw these beautiful eggplant there and I couldn’t help resist buying them and thought maybe I should make a recipe with them. So, I thought that would be perfect to make a traditional Italian pasta dish, a fried eggplant pasta known as pasta alanora. So, let’s get started. For this recipe, you’ll need some vegetable oil, a can of crushed tomatoes, a small onion, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, minced garlic, riata salada, rigetoni pasta, some basil, and of course, fresh eggplant. Begin by chopping one small onion into small pieces. Cut the ends off two medium-sized eggplants. And cut the eggplant into/2-in thick rounds. Then cut the eggplant discs in half. Add some vegetable oil to a large frying pan, enough to fully coat the bottom with some oil. Then turn the stove on medium heat. After the oil heats, work in batches to fry the eggplant slices, keeping them in a single layer. [Music] Season the eggplant with some salt and fry for 3 minutes per side. Then flip the eggplant over and season the other side with some more salt. After, transfer the fried eggplant to a paper towel lined plate. Continue frying the rest of the eggplant, 3 minutes per side. Season with some salt and remove when brown. To the remaining oil, add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Then add two heaping teaspoons of minced garlic and stir and sauté for 1 minute. Next, pour in a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. and stir to combine with the onion and garlic. Season the sauce with some salt, black pepper, and hot red pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes. On the side, grate some riotta salada cheese. Remove the lid from a large pot of boiling water and add one pound of riatoni pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the packaging directions. And drain the cooked pasta. Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and stir to combine. [Music] Add the reserved fried eggplant to the pasta [Music] and stir again to incorporate. Add in some freshly chopped basil and stir one last time before serving. [Music] Thank you for joining me in making this pasta alaormo. I’ll be serving my dish with a nice helping of some shave riata salada on top and some more fresh basil as well. If you’re interested in my recipe for pasta alanora, be sure to click the link in the description box below to visit my website, leanwellcooking.com, there you’ll find all my recipes written out, photos, videos, and more. If you like this video, please be sure to give it a big thumbs up and hit that subscribe button for more delicious recipes.