This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. That means if you click on my link and buy something, I will earn a small commission from the advertiser at no additional cost to you. For more information on this, please click here.
Casarecce alla Norma is the delicious, iconic pasta dish that you will find all over Sicily. With only three main ingredients in the sauce–eggplant, tomato and salty, crumbly ricotta salata cheese–pasta all norma is a favorite among Sicilians and Americans alike.
Originally from Catania on the east side of the island, Casarecce alla Norma is, arguably, the most famous of all Sicilian pasta dishes. Twisty casarecce pasta is tossed in a vegetarian, tomato-based sauce that’s abundant with eggplant and tangy, sheep’s milk ricotta salata cheese.
Fresh basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and sharp pecorino romano cheese round out the aromatic flavors in this dish. So delicious! I kid you not when I tell you that I had non-eggplant-eaters licking their bowls when I served it recently! The flavors really are a win-win-win combination.
Pasta alla norma is traditionally made in Sicily with sliced eggplant fried in copious amounts of olive oil. I lightened things up a bit here by roasting large cubes of eggplant in a high-heat oven until they were caramelized and a little charred with a bit of a crust. This way, they mostly hold their shape once tossed in the thick sauce. Plus, roasting is much less messy than frying (i.e., less clean-up!)
MORE RECIPES WITH EGGPLANT: Stuffed Eggplant, Eggplant Meatballs (without Meat), Fried Eggplant Cutlets, Roasted Eggplant with Crispy Garlic and Herbs, Sicilian Caponata Relish, Bucatini with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Ricotta and Grilled Italian Eggplant.
What is Casarecce?
Casarecce (pronounced cah-sah-reh-chay) is a delicate pasta shape of medium length that originated in Sicily. It’s loosely rolled lengthwise and slightly twisted, making it perfect for holding sauces like this one with tomatoes, eggplant and cheese. “Casarecce” means homemade and this is often a shape made in home kitchens around Italy. In Sicily, it’s the traditional shape usually served with pasta all norma.
Is Ricotta Salata the Same as Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta salata is a semi-firm to firm, aged, sheep’s milk cheese with a crumbly texture that’s firm enough to grate. It’s made by pressing, salting, and drying fresh ricotta, which gives it a harder, less creamy texture and saltier, stronger and tangier flavor than regular ricotta cheese. It also has a subtle sweetness and nutty, briny taste. Some compare it to a milder, drier feta or an aged parmesan.
SIDE NOTE: My family always had a chunk of ricotta salata in a small dish with a cheese grater on our table growing up on pasta night. Along with ubiquitous, grated pecorino of course. This way, you had your choice of cheese to top off your bowl of pasta–it’s a Sicilian thing!
For an adaptation of this recipe made with regular ricotta cheese, check out this Pasta with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Eggplant and Ricotta.
Origin of Pasta alla Norma
There’s a few different explanations out there about the origin of this pasta (too many to describe here), but they are all related to the famous opera, La Norma, composed in 1831 by Sicilian Vincenzo Bellini, a musician from Catania. One legend has it that Italian playwright Nino Martoglio tasted this dish and exclaimed, “this is a real ‘Norma’!“, meaning excellent, like the opera of the same name. So basically, this norma pasta is so good that it was named after an operatic masterpiece!
Hope you give this easy, comforting and savory casarecce alla norma a try. Mangia bene!
How to Make Casarecce alla Norma
Here are the steps to make this Sicilian pasta with eggplant recipe:
- Prep and gather all ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Then, roast the eggplant in a 425°F preheated oven on a lower rack. Place large chunks of eggplant on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer on it. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the sheet pan around, then roast for 15 more minutes or until the eggplant are tender and caraemlized. Remove eggplant from the oven, sprinkle it lightly with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- PRO-TIP: Do not overcrowd the pan and use two if necessary. Salt the eggplant AFTER it is finished roasting, not before, to prevent the vegetables from steaming in the oven. (Salt extracts moisture.)
- PRO-TIP: The eggplant is cooked at a high heat to develop some char and texture on the outside so that it mostly holds its shape when tossed with the pasta and sauce rather than turning to mush (the key to making a great casarecce alla norma!).
- While the eggplant is roasting, start the sauce. Combine the olive oil, garlic, half the fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet and heat on medium-low. Cook uncovered for about 3 minutes or until the garlic is just starting to brown, stirring a few times.
- Then add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper and stir. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente.
- PRO-TIP: Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Fold in half the roasted eggplant to the sauce and mix until well-combined. Reserve the rest for topping the pasta at the end.
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the skillet along with some starchy pasta water and the remaining basil. Let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce to absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add additional pasta water if the pasta needs more moisture.
- When the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, then fold in the ricotta salata and pecorino cheeses and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Finish with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the remaining half of roasted eggplant and a little bit more of the two cheeses. Serve immediately. That’s it!
Check out my answer to “How Much Salt Should You Add to Pasta Water?” here, as featured in Appetito’s online Italian Food and Drink Magazine.
More Pasta Recipes with Veggies
- Sicilian Pasta with Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins and Pine Nuts
- Creamy Zucchini Pasta–a year round favorite
- Easy Pesto Ricotta Pasta–creamy, delicious and no cooking required (except for the pasta!)
- Bucatini with Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant Sauce–creamy with ricotta
- Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella–a crowd favorite!
- Homemade Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes–a fresh twist on the classic
- Pasta with Quick Grape Tomato Sauce–the lovely flavor of fresh tomatoes
- Pasta with Sicilian Trapanese Pesto–a raw tomato and toasted almond pest
Frequently Asked Questions
Casarecce is a short and wide, loosely twisted, medium sized pasta that resembles a scroll. It creates a cool “S” shape with the narrow grooves down its center. Originating in the southern Italian region of Sicily, the curves of this lightly twisted shape make it perfect for capturing sauces.
If aged ricotta salata cheese is unavailable, try this recipe either with either a sheep’s milk feta or aged caciocavallo cheese along with an increased amount of Pecorino Romano. This combination should somewhat replicate the funky, salty and sharp flavor of ricotta salata.
When selecting eggplant, look for a plump, slightly firm, but not hard, texture and choose an eggplant that is shiny and feels heavy for its size, as lightweight eggplants generally reflect an excess of seeds. If you’re able to puncture the eggplant skin, do not buy/use it. Smaller is preferable as they tend to be young and not bitter. Check out this link for some interesting information about all the different varieties of eggplant out there!
Unless you are using old eggplant that has been stored for too long, no, you do not need to salt the eggplant. I realize this may be a controversial reply, since so many people swear by salting eggplants to remove its bitterness. The reality is that, over the years, farmers have bred out much of eggplants’ signature bitterness, rendering salting unnecessary. Having said this, click here for great information about salting eggplants.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
I actually think that this pasta alla norma recipe is pretty perfect as is, but there is always more than one way to make something. Here are a few ideas:
- Fry the Eggplant: Frying the eggplant is the traditional technique in the original norma pasta recipe. If you want to try this, use a deep skillet or pot and fry the eggplant pieces in 375°F oil until tender. Be sure to follow appropriate safety precautions when deep or pan-frying. Often, the fried eggplant is not mixed in with the sauce but rather served on top of each plate. This is a great idea, too!
- Add a Protein: Italian sausage or shrimp are both great options here.
- Make it Whole Grain or Gluten-Free: Just switch out the traditional pasta for a whole wheat or gluten-free pasta.
- Cheese: If aged ricotta salata cheese is unavailable, try this recipe either with either a sheep’s milk feta or aged caciocavallo cheese along with an increased amount of Pecorino Romano. This combination should somewhat replicate the funky, salty and sharp flavor of ricotta salata. Regular ricotta is much creamier and mild, but will work nicely, albeit result in a different flavor of the final dish. I use ricotta with roasted tomatoes and eggplant in my bucatini pasta recipe here.
TOP TIPS FOR CASARECCE ALLA NORMA
- Saucieness: If you prefer a saucier eggplant tomato pasta, you can use 2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes, but I found this to be a bit too much in this recipe, so I used 1 (28-ounce) and 1 (15-ounce) can, which is about 1½ (28-ounce) cans.
- Pasta Water: The pasta water is key! Add it to the veggies along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Pasta Shape: I used medium-sized, curved casarecce pasta in this recipe, which is a classic Sicilian pasta shape that you’ll see across Sicily in this dish. But this recipe would honestly work with lots of different types of both short and long pastas. Some of my favorites are penne rigate, rigatoni, fettucine and bucatini.
- Salt the eggplant cubes after roasting, not before, to prevent the vegetables from steaming in the oven.
- Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce so that the pasta can absorb all the delicious of the sauce. You should actually finish almost all pastas this way.
- Finishing: Don’t forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- Leftovers: Store eggplant and tomato pasta alla norma leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
More Great Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
If you’ve tried Casarecce alla Norma eggplant pasta, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more delicious food and what might be going on behind the scenes!
Sicilian Casarecce alla Norma with Roasted Eggplant
Equipment
- Oil Spray Bottle (optional)
- Large Skillet (or Dutch Oven)
- Dutch oven (or Large Skillet)
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds eggplant, cut into 1” chunks, peeling is optional
- ¼ cup olive oil + more for roasting eggplant
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 1 cup basil, divided
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed (See NOTES.)
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed (See NOTES.)
- ½ tsp salt + more for eggplant
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound pasta + salt for pasta water
- 4 ounces ricotta salata cheese, shredded or coarsely grated + more for finishing) (about 1¼ cups)
- ⅓ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese + more for finishing
- Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
Instructions
- Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 425℉. (Use the convection option if you have it.) Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Roast the eggplant: Spray the parchment-lined sheet pan with a little olive oil, then arrange the cut eggplant in a single layer on it. Do not overcrowd the pan and use two if necessary. Then, lightly spray the tops of the eggplant with oil. Salt the eggplant AFTER it is finished roasting, not before, to prevent the vegetables from steaming in the oven. (Salt extracts moisture.)4-5 pounds eggplant,
- Place the sheet pan(s) in the oven on the lower rack and roast 15 minutes. Turn the sheet pan around, then roast for 15 more minutes or until the eggplant are tender and caramelized. The eggplant is cooked at a high heat to develop some char and texture on the outside so that it mostly holds its shape when tossed with the pasta and sauce rather than turning to mush (the key to making a great casarecce alla norma!).
- Remove eggplant from the oven, sprinkle it lightly with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- While the eggplant is roasting, start the sauce. Combine the olive oil, garlic, half the basil and crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet and heat on medium-low. Cook uncovered for about 3 minutes or until the garlic is just starting to brown, stirring a few times.¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup chopped garlic, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Then add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper and stir. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (See NOTES below about the amount of tomatoes.)1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes,, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes,
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. (Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.)1 pound pasta
- Fold in half the roasted eggplant to the sauce and mix until well-combined. (Reserve the rest for topping the pasta at the end.)
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the skillet along with about ½ cup of the starchy salted water (to start) and the remaining ½ cup chopped basil leaves. Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce to absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.
- When the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, then fold in the grated ricotta salata and pecorino cheeses and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Finish with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the remaining half of roasted eggplant and a little bit more of the two cheeses. Serve immediately. Buon Appetito!4 ounces ricotta salata cheese,, ⅓ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, Extra virgin olive oil
Notes
- If you prefer a saucier pasta, you can use 2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes, but I found this to be a bit too much in this recipe, so I used 1 (28-ounce) and 1 (15-ounce) can, which is about 1½ (28-ounce) cans.
- Salt the eggplant after it is finished roasting, not before, to prevent the vegetables from steaming in the oven.
- The pasta water is key! Add it to the veggies along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- I used medium-sized, curved casarecce pasta in this recipe, which is a classic Sicilian pasta shape that you’ll see across Sicily in this dish. But this recipe would honestly work with lots of different types of both short and long pastas. Some of my favorites are penne rigate, rigatoni, fettucine and bucatini.
- Don’t forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
Okay, everyone…make this wonderful pasta dish Now! I have been wanting to make this for a Sunday dinner and I finally did and what an excellent meal!! I did not have ricotta salata so I used ricotta: it worked well with the Pecorino Romano. Thank you Michele. I always enjoy your detailed instructions, notes and culinary history. You make preparing and cooking so uplifting, grazie mille.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this pasta alla norma recipe, Christine! It’s one of my favorites. Glad you made it your own with creamy ricotta. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Will definitely try your recipe cassarechi my favourite pasta
Great, easy to follow recipe! My family enjoyed it last Sunday. Will definitely make again.