Air-fryer pasta alla Norma recipe
Created by The Tesco Recipes team
Inspired by the Sicilian classic, this easy yet special pasta alla Norma features air-fried aubergines for a tender and caramelised finish. It’s then folded into a rich homemade tomato sauce (with leftovers for another meal, see recipe below). Serve it the traditional way with wide, ridged rigatoni, perfect for catching the chunky sauce. A flavour-packed weeknight dinner that delivers 2 of you 5-a-day.
See method- Serves 4
- Takes 45 mins
- 484 calories / serving
- Freezable
- Vegetarian
- Healthy
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 aubergines, trimmed and cut into half-moons
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
- 20g fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated, stalks finely chopped
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- pinch of caster sugar
- 300g rigatoni
- 80g ricotta
- 20g pecorino, grated
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Shop ingredientsEach serving contains
- Energy
- 2045kJ 484.0kcal
- Fat
- 15g
- Saturates
- 4g
- Salt
- 0.7g
- Sugars
- 11g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 68.0gProtein 16.4gFibre 9.3g
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Method
- Preheat the air-fryer to 180°C. In a bowl, massage 3 tbsp oil into the aubergines, then season well. Transfer to the air-fryer and cook for 25-30 mins, shaking the drawer every 5 mins and mixing with a wooden spoon to ensure the aubergine pieces cook evenly until tender and caramelising; season.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic for 1-2 mins until fragrant and sizzling, then pour in the tinned tomatoes and half a tin of water; break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the basil stalks, vinegar and sugar; season well. Bring to a boil, then simmer over a medium-high heat for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick and saucy; reduce the heat if it starts to stick. Stir in most of the basil leaves and season to taste.
- Cook the pasta to pack instructions. Drain well.
- Lightly stir the cooked aubergine into the sauce. Set aside around 230g for the parmigiana ciabattas (see tip), then mix the pasta into the remaining sauce. Divide among plates and serve topped with a dollop of ricotta, grated pecorino, the remaining basil and some black pepper.
- Cook once, eat twice tip: Use the leftover aubergine for our Aubergine parmigiana ciabattas.
- See more Air-fryer recipes
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Freeze pasta and sauce only. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.
