Step 1: Prepare the Eggplant. Begin by chopping your eggplant into uniform ½-inch pieces. Transfer them to a bowl and generously sprinkle with salt. Let the eggplant sit for at least 10 minutes. This crucial step draws out excess moisture and any potential bitterness, ensuring your eggplant fries up beautifully without becoming soggy. After 10 minutes, firmly pat dry the eggplant pieces with a paper towel to remove as much liquid as possible.

Step 2: Fry the Eggplant to Perfection. In a large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully add your dried eggplant pieces to the hot oil. For best results, let the eggplant sit undisturbed for about 4 minutes on one side before you begin stirring. This allows a beautiful, flavorful crust to form. Continue to brown the eggplant on all sides, frying for approximately 10 minutes in total, until it’s tender with a nice charred exterior. Remove the crispy eggplant from the pan and set it aside. This charring adds a wonderful smoky depth to the dish.

Step 3: Begin the Sauce and Pasta. In a separate large pan (or clean the eggplant pan if you prefer), heat 2 tablespoons of fresh olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for just one minute until fragrant – be careful not to burn it! In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water (it should taste like the sea!) and add your pasta of choice. Cook according to package directions, ensuring it’s al dente. Crucially, before draining, make sure to save 1 cup of this starchy pasta water – it’s key to creating a silky, emulsified sauce.

Step 4: Build the Tomato Base. To the fragrant garlic, add the black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes for a subtle kick. Then, stir in the halved cherry tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir everything well, ensuring the tomatoes are coated. Let the tomatoes gently simmer and break down for 3-5 minutes, releasing their sweet juices and forming the base of your luscious sauce. They will soften and begin to collapse, creating a rustic texture.

Step 5: Deglaze and Thicken with Wine. Pour in the white wine, stirring gently to deglaze the pan and incorporate any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom. Let the sauce simmer until the white wine reduces by about half. As the alcohol cooks off and the liquid evaporates, the flavors will concentrate and the sauce should visibly begin to thicken. You’ll observe little bubbles forming, indicating the sauce is reducing beautifully and gaining body.

Step 6: Incorporate Basil and Pasta Water. Stir in the fresh basil leaves. The vibrant aroma of basil is best preserved when added towards the end of cooking. Next, add the reserved pasta water. The starch from the pasta water is essential for emulsifying the sauce, helping it cling perfectly to every strand of pasta. Continue to simmer the sauce gently, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to reach a desirable consistency. This step ensures a wonderfully cohesive dish.

Step 7: Reintroduce Eggplant and Simmer. Now, gently stir the fried eggplant pieces back into the simmering tomato and wine sauce. Mix everything thoroughly until the eggplant is evenly distributed and coated in the rich sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for another 5 minutes. This final simmer ensures the eggplant reabsorbs some of the sauce’s flavors and all the ingredients truly harmonize.

Step 8: Combine Pasta and Serve. Finally, add the cooked pasta directly into the pan with the sauce and eggplant. Toss everything together vigorously until the pasta is completely coated with the rich, flavorful sauce. If the sauce appears too thick or not enough to coat all the pasta, gradually add more of the reserved pasta water until you reach your desired consistency. Serve immediately, garnished generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of extra fresh basil for a vibrant finish. Enjoy this delightful and satisfying simple pasta with eggplant and tomatoes!

While this simple eggplant pasta is delicious as is, you can certainly elevate it further. Traditionally, Pasta alla Norma is served with salted ricotta cheese. Trying salted ricotta instead of or in addition to fresh Parmesan will introduce a creamy, tangy dimension that complements the fried eggplant beautifully. The eggplant itself already adds a wonderful richness and creamy texture to the pasta, making this an exquisite combination. You could also stir in a handful of fresh spinach at the very end, or a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness.

I completely agree – reheating most pasta dishes in the microwave can often lead to a dry, unappetizing result. Since this is already a lighter sauce, microwaving it could quickly dry it out. My preferred method is to gently reheat it on the stovetop. Add a splash of olive oil (and potentially a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth if it seems too dry) to a pan over medium-low heat. Add the leftover pasta and toss gently until it’s warmed through and the sauce is rejuvenated. Afterwards, a little fresh Parmesan and basil can bring it back to life. This technique works wonders for preserving the sauce’s texture and flavor.

While basil can contribute a subtle hint of flavor during the cooking process, its vibrant, peppery, and aromatic notes are best preserved and truly tasted when added at the very end. The high heat of prolonged cooking can diminish basil’s delicate oils and freshness. I find this simple eggplant and tomato pasta to be the perfect type of dish where adding basil towards the end makes a huge difference in the final aroma and taste, adding a burst of freshness that brightens the entire meal. It’s a technique I’ve tested with various dishes, and it consistently yields superior results, allowing the basil to shine.

Absolutely! This recipe is easily adaptable for a vegan diet. Simply omit the Parmesan cheese when serving. Ensure your white wine is vegan-friendly (some wines use animal products in fining). For an extra layer of flavor and creaminess often achieved with cheese, you could sprinkle with nutritional yeast or a vegan Parmesan alternative.

While eggplant and tomatoes are the stars, this versatile pasta welcomes other vegetables. Consider adding zucchini, bell peppers (red or yellow for sweetness), or even some tender asparagus spears alongside the eggplant. Sauté them briefly before adding the tomatoes to ensure they cook through. Just be mindful not to overcrowd the pan, as this can steam the vegetables instead of browning them.

Leftovers of this pasta dish can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For best quality and texture, it’s generally best enjoyed fresh. Freezing is possible, but pasta dishes with delicate sauces and fried vegetables like eggplant can sometimes become a bit mushy or change texture upon thawing and reheating. If you choose to freeze, store the sauce and pasta separately if possible, and then combine and reheat slowly on the stovetop with a little extra liquid.

• ▢ 3 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 eggplant, chopped into ½ inch pieces
• ▢ 2 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ▢ ½ cup white wine
• ▢ 1 handful basil leaves
• ▢ ½ cup pasta water
• ▢ ½ lb penne or rigatoni

• Chop the eggplant and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel.
• In a large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil to medium heat. Once hot, place your eggplant in the pan and fry. Let the eggplant sit undisturbed for 4 minutes before stirring. Brown the eggplant on all sides, frying for about 10 minutes total. Remove the eggplant and set it aside.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water well when it reaches a boil and add your pasta of choice. Make sure to save 1 cup of pasta water.
• In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil to medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add in the black and crushed red pepper. Then stir in the halved cherry tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and let the tomatoes break down for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour in the white wine and simmer until the white wine reduces by about half. The sauce should begin to thicken. You’ll notice little bubbles in the sauce. Stir in the basil and add the pasta water. Continue to simmer.
• Stir in the eggplant. Mix well until everything is completely combined. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the pasta and combine well. If there isn’t enough sauce, slowly add more pasta water.
• Serve with parmesan cheese!

1. Let the tomatoes break down on their own. Let the skins soften before trying to break them all open. I always use cherry tomatoes. I find they break down a lot easier than grape tomatoes.
2. The eggplant will soak up a lot of the oil at first. Let them sit for a while, and they will start to let some of it back out as they fry. Add more oil if the eggplant isn’t browning and it’s just getting “spotted” with brown dots.
3. You have to use the pasta water to get the sauce to coat the pasta. This light sauce really needs the extra starch to thicken up.