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Spaghetti alla norma served in a bowl with aubergine and basil

Sicilian spaghetti alla Norma

With aubergine, baby capers & basil

Spaghetti alla norma served in a bowl with aubergine and basil

45 mins

Super easy

serves 4

About the recipe

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. 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.


nutrition per serving

409

Calories


13g

Fat


3.9g

Saturates


8.4g

Sugars


1.5g

Salt


16.3g

Protein


60.6g

Carbs


10.1g

Fibre


of an adult’s reference intake

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 400g tin of quality plum tomatoes

320g dried wholewheat spaghetti

50g pecorino cheese

extra virgin olive oil

Top Tip

This recipe 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.

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.

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