Pasta alla Norma with pesto crumbs
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Pasta alla Norma with pesto crumbs
We’re roasting the aubergine rather than frying it in this Sicilian pasta dish, meaning less oil and fewer pans on the hob
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine, cut into small chunks
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 300g short pasta (we used mezzi rigatoni)
For the pesto crumbs
- 50g dried white breadcrumbs (we used panko)
- ½ x 30g pack basil, leaves picked
- 30g parmigiano reggiano or vegetarian alternative, grated
- zest of 1 lemon
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Toss the aubergine chunks with half of the olive oil and some seasoning, then spread out on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until soft. Scatter the breadcrumbs across a smaller tray and pop those into the oven too, for around 5 minutes or until just light golden-brown. Allow to cool.
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Meanwhile, put the remaining olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves and add to the oil along with the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until just starting to soften. Add the tinned tomatoes, then fill the empty tin halfway with water and pour that in too. Add the sugar, vinegar and seasoning. Simmer over a low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the roasted aubergine.
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Add the breadcrumbs to a food processor or blender with the basil leaves, remaining peeled garlic clove, cheese and lemon zest with a pinch of salt. Pulse until bright green. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving around 150ml pasta water, and tip the pasta directly into the sauce. Gradually add the pasta water until the sauce is silky and coats the pasta (you may not need it all). Divide among bowls, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and top with the pesto crumbs.
