Ingredients
Method
- Roast eggplant. Preheat oven to 425F. Drizzle eggplant generously with olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Toss together until combined. I recommend using two baking sheets for this for optimum browning! Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until browned and tender.
- Make the sauce. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan until simmering. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, another 3-5 minutes or until everything is fragrant and dark gold and the onions are soft. Stir in the marinara sauce and bring to just below a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until everything else is done, stirring occasionally.
- Make pasta and assemble. Cook the pasta according to the box directions. After you have drained it, add the eggplant, feta, and most of the basil. Stir 1 tbsp cold butter into the sauce until fully melted, then pour it into the pot with everything else. Toss gently until everything is combined.*
Notes
* Some will be tempted to make the noodles separately and let everyone serve themselves sauce, but I caution against it; it’s traditional to toss before serving, and this also prevents the nightmare in which the last person to get to the sauce finds that there is not enough left. Tossing it results in the perfect sauce-to-noodle ratio and, in some cases, prevents family feuds.
eggplant: The one you are most likely to find at your local grocery store is Italian. Choose one that is plump and unblemished.
garlic: in the interest of keeping this weeknight-friendly, I used jarred minced garlic. If you feel like mincing it yourself, go for it! But you may want to use a tad less, since fresh garlic has a stronger flavor.
marinara sauce: Rao’s is the best! But it’s a little pricey, so use whatever marinara sauce you prefer.
feta: I used Mediterranean herb feta this time, but I’ve made it with plain many times and it’s just as good.
leftovers: pasta alla norma will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for 4 days.