This is one of those pasta sauces that sticks to every nook and cranny on the pasta. It’s a famous Sicilian dish using eggplant to add a meaty texture to the sauce, while still being vegetarian. It’s a great weeknight pasta dish since it comes together within an hour or simmer longer if you have the time.

Tips:

• Roasting the eggplant is a nice option vs. frying it since the eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up tons of oil in a frying pan. Consider this a diet version!

• A tube pasta like rigatoni or penne is traditional in this dish. You want the sauce to get trapped in the pasta for each bite.

• If you don't have ricotta salata you can substitute a dollop of ricotta. Just stir it a bit in each bowl, but not too much that it becomes mixed with the sauce.

• Make this vegan by eliminating the cheese. If you want to freeze this dish just leave out the cheese until you are ready to serve.

Pasta alla Norma

Makes 4

PREP 25 minutes

COOK 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant (1 to 1 1/2 lbs)

Sea salt

28 oz. can of peeled, plum tomatoes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing the eggplant

1 pound rigatoni

2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 bunch basil, leaves only, very roughly chopped (about 1 packed cup)

1 scant cup ricotta salata, crumbled or coarsely grated, optional

Parmesan cheese, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C).

2. Using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife, peel all or some of the skin from the eggplant in stripes (it can be nice to have some, but not all, of the eggplant skin in the final pasta dish). Cut the eggplant into 1-inch dice and toss it on a rimmed baking sheet with enough olive oil to lightly coat it. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Roast the eggplant until browned and very tender, about 20 minutes. The eggplant is done when you can easily squish a cube with your finger and it has a nice, creamy texture.

4. Meanwhile, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently, according to the package instructions.

5. Warm a large skillet over low heat and add the 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in the garlic and crushed red pepper and stir a bit. Add the tomatoes, basil and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon as they cook.

6. Add the roasted eggplant and let the sauce simmer gently until the pasta is ready.

7. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water. Toss the drained pasta with the sauce. If the mixture seems dry, add some of the pasta cooking water, a little at a time, until the sauce is your desired consistency. Toss in the ricotta salata, if using, and pass the Parmesan to grate.