Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2024)

  • Healthy recipes
    • Healthy snacks
    • Healthy lunches
    • Healthy chicken recipes
    • Healthy fish recipes
    • Healthy vegetarian recipes
  • Main Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Pasta
    • Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Beef
    • Eggs
    • View more…
  • Special Diets
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian ideas
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free
    • Budget recipes
    • One-pan recipes
    • Meals for one
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Quick fixes
    • View more…
  • Baking recipes
    • Cakes
    • Biscuit recipes
    • Gluten-free bakes
    • View more…
  • Family recipes
    • Money saving recipes
    • Cooking with kids
    • School night suppers
    • Batch cooking
    • View more…
  • Special occasions
    • Dinner party recipes
    • Sunday roast recipes
    • Dinner recipes for two
    • View more…
    • 5 Ingredients Mediterranean
    • ONE
    • Jamie’s Keep Cooking Family Favourites
    • 7 Ways
    • Veg
    • View more…
  • Nutrition
    • What foods are good for gut health?
    • Healthy eating tips
    • Special diets guidance
    • All about sugar
    • Learn about portion size
    • View more
  • Features
    • Cheap eats
    • Healthy meals
    • Air-fryer recipes
    • Family cooking
    • Quick fixes
    • View more
  • How to’s
    • How to cook with frozen veg
    • How to make the most of your oven
    • How to make meals veggie or vegan
    • View more
  • More Jamie Oliver

Sicilian spaghetti alla Norma

With aubergine, baby capers & basil

  • Vegetarianv

Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2)

With aubergine, baby capers & basil

  • Vegetarianv

“This is a beautifully simple, classic Sicilian pasta dish – it’s incredibly satisfying, full of flavour, and feels like a great big hug in a bowl. It also contains two of your five-a-day (bonus!), and the nutty-flavoured wholewheat pasta is much higher in fibre than the white refined stuff (double bonus!), so is a fantastic switch to make. The aubergine takes on the most amazing texture, the capers and pecorino add a lovely saltiness to the sweet tomato sauce and the chilli flakes give it a lovely warmth. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In45 minutes

DifficultySuper easy

ItalianTomatoMains

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 409 20%

  • Fat 13g 19%

  • Saturates 3.9g 20%

  • Sugars 8.4g 9%

  • Salt 1.5g 25%

  • Protein 16.3g 33%

  • Carbs 60.6g 23%

  • Fibre 10.1g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • 2 aubergines
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  • olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon baby capers
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes
  • 320 g dried wholewheat spaghetti
  • 50 g pecorino cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Chop the aubergines into rough 2cm chunks. Place into a colander in the sink, sprinkle with sea salt to draw out the moisture, then set aside for around 20 minutes.
  2. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely slice the stalks.
  3. Rinse the aubergine and pat dry with kitchen paper, then place into a large bowl with the oregano, chilli flakes, a splash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Toss together well.
  4. Drizzle a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the aubergines in a single layer, and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring occasionally – you may need to do this in batches.
  5. Add another splash of olive oil, followed by the garlic, capers and basil stalks, then cook for a further 2 minutes, or until golden.
  6. Stir in the vinegar and the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick and glossy.
  7. Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until al dente, which means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of bite and firmness to it.
  8. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cupful of the cooking water, then add a good splash of the reserved water to the aubergine sauce.
  9. Finely grate in half the cheese and tear in most of the reserved basil leaves. Add a lug of extra virgin olive oil, then season to taste.
  10. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss well, adding an extra splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed.
  11. Divide between bowls, grate over the remaining cheese and finish with the remaining basil scattered on top.

Related recipe

Easy peasy tomato tagliatelle

Related features

11 beautiful budget-friendly pasta recipes

Five ways with pappardelle

Related video

Pesto pasta with aubergine: Gennaro Contaldo

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Spaghetti alla Norma | Jamie Oliver spaghetti recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is pasta alla norma made of? ›

Originally from Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta made with tender eggplant and tossed in a herby tomato sauce and a sprinkle of ricotta salata cheese. This eggplant pasta recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian dinner that even meat lovers enjoy!

How to cook spaghetti 101? ›

How to Cook Pasta
  1. Place 4–6 quarts of cold water in a large pot, and bring to a boil.
  2. Add salt, and bring back to a boil. ...
  3. Add pasta, and cook according to package instructions.
  4. For al dente pasta, do a bite test. ...
  5. Drain, but reserve some of the pasta water! ...
  6. Add your favorite ingredients and sauce, toss, serve and enjoy!

How do you make spaghetti nicer? ›

To enhance the flavor of your spaghetti sauce, you can add fresh vegetables, greens, and fresh herbs like basil and parsley. You can also add diced onions, fresh garlic, and red/green pepper. A splash of red wine or some dairy, such as cheese, also works great. Lastly, don't forget salt.

What pasta is from Sicily? ›

Busiate - on the west coast of Sicily around Trapani, busiate pasta reigns supreme. Made fresh with durum wheat flour and water, they come in the form of deliciously chubby, elongated helixes.

What does Norma mean in Italian? ›

noun. [ feminine ] /'nɔrma/ (regola) rule , regulation , standard.

What is the story behind Pasta alla Norma? ›

As the tale goes, a Sicilian playwright was so taken with a pasta dish he was served that he proclaimed it to be a 'Norma' - a term used colloquially by the locals to describe something outstanding, much like Bellini's opera. Thus, the dish was christened Pasta alla Norma.

What is the trick for spaghetti? ›

How To Cook Pasta: 10 Tips And Tricks
  1. DON'T put oil in your water or on your pasta. ...
  2. Fill your pot properly. ...
  3. Salt your water like the sea. ...
  4. Bring water to a rapid boil before adding the pasta. ...
  5. Drop and stir. ...
  6. Check the package for timing. ...
  7. Always save some cooking water. ...
  8. Drain don't dry.
Oct 20, 2023

How to spaghetti step by step? ›

  1. Fill large Dutch oven or pot with cold water 3/4 full and bring to a boil.
  2. Add 2 tsp salt and spaghetti. ...
  3. Cook pasta uncovered for 5 more minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. ...
  4. Return pot to medium heat and add olive oil, 4 garlic cloves and oregano. ...
  5. Turn off the heat. ...
  6. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.
May 1, 2021

How many minutes should you cook spaghetti? ›

How long do you cook spaghetti for? Generally, most spaghetti cooks in 8 to 10 minutes but it's best to follow the packet directions. How do you cook spaghetti so it doesn't stick together? When adding the spaghetti to the saucepan, wrap hands around the middle of the spaghetti.

What is the secret to good spaghetti? ›

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

What gives spaghetti more flavor? ›

Fresh basil is the natural choice with simple pasta sauces like marinara, but parsley, cilantro, and even mint can also give pasta dishes a burst of fragrant flavor when they're sprinkled on just before serving.

What can I add to spaghetti to make it amazing? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Canned Spaghetti Sauce
  1. 1 - Extra virgin olive oil. Adding a good amount of a flavorful olive oil will go a long way in infusing flavor into your sauce. ...
  2. 2 - Fresh garlic. ...
  3. 3 - Meat. ...
  4. 4 - Hot pepper flakes. ...
  5. 5 - Red wine. ...
  6. 6 - Fresh or dried herbs. ...
  7. 7 - Cheese. ...
  8. 8 - Cream and/or butter.
Feb 26, 2018

What kind of pasta do real Italians eat? ›

Italy's most popular pasta is penne. This quill-shaped pasta is unusual in that it has a very precise origin. It was born in 1865, with a new device patented by Giovanni Battista Capurro in the small town of San Martino d'Albero, near Genoa.

What is the most famous pasta in Italy? ›

1. Spaghetti • Sicily. Spaghetti is Italy's classic pasta and commonly found in Sicilian dishes you can try during a Sicily tour and vacation. Typical spaghetti is made from water, milled wheat, and flour, but authentic spaghetti is made with durum wheat semolina.

What are the 4 types of pasta in Italy? ›

Gricia, Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, and Amatriciana are all simple pastas that share the same big flavors of Pecorino-Romano, black pepper, and—in three of the dishes—cured pork. Published Oct. 18, 2018.

Why is pasta alla vodka so good? ›

Wine works, too, but a clean-tasting vodka has mostly water and ethanol (a solvent), which is excellent at carrying aromatic compounds — like those in tomatoes. In other words, the vodka in this dish can help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce's flavors in a heightened way.

What is pasta alla carbonara made of? ›

Carbonara (Italian: [karboˈnaːra]) is a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, fatty cured pork, and black pepper. It is typical of the Lazio region of Italy. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century. The cheese is usually pecorino romano.

Why is it called pasta alla vodka? ›

It was brought by vodka distillers who wanted restaurants and their chefs to promote the consumption of vodka to the Italians. Besides enjoying it in chilled vodka glasses, they even suggested that Italian chefs dream up ways to cook with it! So this may have been when penne alla vodka appeared in Italy.

What is most Italian pasta made of? ›

Usually, Italian pasta is made from 100 percent durum wheat, which is usually called semolina flour. Therefore, Italian pasta is higher in protein. Semolina flour also stands up to the rigors of the cooking process much better than other types of flour.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5799

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Birthday: 2001-07-17

Address: Suite 794 53887 Geri Spring, West Cristentown, KY 54855

Phone: +5934435460663

Job: Central Hospitality Director

Hobby: Yoga, Electronics, Rafting, Lockpicking, Inline skating, Puzzles, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.