Best 6 Pasta Melanzana Recipes

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Pasta melanzane, also known as pasta alla Norma, is a traditional Italian dish that combines the smoky flavor of roasted eggplant with the tangy taste of tomato sauce and the velvety texture of pasta. Originating from the city of Catania in Sicily, this dish showcases the region's culinary heritage and is a testament to the vibrant flavors of Southern Italy. The secret to a perfect pasta melanzane lies in selecting the freshest eggplants, slow-cooking the tomato sauce to develop its richness, and marrying the ingredients together with the right balance of herbs and spices. With its vibrant colors, enticing aroma, and symphony of flavors, pasta melanzane is a dish that will tantalize your taste buds and transport you to the heart of Italy.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

PASTA MELANZANA



Pasta Melanzana image

One of my favorite ways to eat eggplant! Use any small pasta in interesting shapes like bowties, rotini, or seashells.

Provided by SPEARL20

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Italian

Time 25m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

¾ cup bow tie (farfalle) pasta
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
cracked black pepper to taste

Steps:

  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic; cook and stir until softened. Mix in the eggplant. Let the eggplant cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Then stir and cook until tender, about 5 more minutes.
  • Mix in the spinach and season with salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the drained pasta and lemon juice along with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a serving dish and top with remaining cheese and cracked black pepper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 296.7 calories, Carbohydrate 16.6 g, Cholesterol 24.1 mg, Fat 22.3 g, Fiber 5.5 g, Protein 10.5 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, Sodium 329 mg, Sugar 4 g

MELANZANE ALLA PARMIGIANA (EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA)



Melanzane Alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmigiana) image

Provided by Food Network

Categories     main-dish

Time 2h5m

Yield 8 to 12 servings; About 8 cups sauce

Number Of Ingredients 15

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
Two 28-ounce cans pomodori pelati tomatoes (whole peeled tomatoes), blended smooth
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Large handful fresh basil leaves, optional
Canola oil, for frying eggplants
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 1/2 pounds part-skim mozzarella, grated
1 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, plus more for garnish
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only (about 3 loosely packed cups), plus more for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Steps:

  • For the red sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and saute until tender, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and some salt and black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Tear the basil leaves and stir into the sauce at the end of simmering.
  • For the eggplant parmigiana: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour 2 inches of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or high-sided skillet and heat to 360 degrees F.
  • Pour the flour into a wide casserole dish. Whisk in salt and black pepper. Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, and then fry them in the hot oil in batches. When they are browned, remove them from the oil and lay them on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat as necessary. Let cool.
  • Start layering your ingredients in individual gratin dishes or in 2 disposable trays if making family-style servings: a few slices of fried eggplant, a small spoonful of red sauce, a couple of handfuls of mozzarella, a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan, a few leaves of basil. Repeat the layering 2 to 3 times (3 is better if your dish can accommodate it). For the top layer, finish with a final spoonful of red sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Reserve any remaining red sauce for another use.
  • Serve garnished with a few leaves of basil, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a touch of extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Buon Appetito!

ANTONIA'S PASTA ALLE MELENZANA (EGGPLANT PASTA)



Antonia's Pasta Alle Melenzana (Eggplant Pasta) image

Provided by Food Network

Time 57m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
3 large eggplants, chopped (5 cups)
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Leaves from 10 to12 sprigs of fresh basil
Kosher salt
10 to 15 plum tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 1/2 pounds dry fettuccine
1/2 pound packaged mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1.1 pounds fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

  • Heat 1/2 cup of oil and the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and eggplant and cook gently over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until tender. It may be necessary to add more oil as the eggplant soaks the oil up quickly. Towards the end of cooking time, add the whole garlic cloves and half of the basil leaves.
  • In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the tomatoes for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin splits and the tomatoes are softened. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a mesh colander set over a large bowl. Reserve the cooking liquid.
  • When they are cool enough to handle, core the tomatoes and peel off the skin. Using clean hands, squish the tomatoes, pushing the pulp through the sieve into the bowl underneath. At first you will have a watery liquid. Add the tomato liquid to the eggplant and then continue to push the tomato pulp through the sieve, until you have only seeds and hard pulp pieces left. Finally, add the rest of the pulpy liquid to the eggplants and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sugar and continue to cook for 10 more minutes, until thickened.
  • In the meantime, bring the reserved cooking liquid back to a boil, add additional salt, and cook the fettuccine according to directions on the package. Drain well.
  • To serve, spoon a third of the eggplant into a bowl and set aside. Toss the pasta in the saute pan with the remaining eggplant and add the packaged mozzarella. Place the mixture in a large serving bowl and top with the reserved eggplant, the fresh mozzarella and the Parmesan. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve hot.

RICCIOLI CON MELANZANA E MOZZARELLA



Riccioli Con Melanzana E Mozzarella image

Taken from here = http://italianfood.about.com/od/pastabasics/ig/The-Pasta-Shapes-Gallery/Riccioli--Pasta-curls-.htm Cooking times are estimates.

Provided by Satyne

Categories     European

Time 1h45m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

300 g macaroni (riccioli amalfitani or similar pasta)
3 medium sized eggplants
4 plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
100 g mozzarella cheese, diced (ideally buffalo, but cow's milk will work)
10 basil leaves, shredded
1/3 cup olive oil
abundant freshly grated parmigiano (at least a half cup)
salt and pepper

Steps:

  • Peel and sliced the eggplant; salt the slices and put them in a colander in the sink for an hour, while the salt draws out their bitter juices.
  • Rinse them, pat them dry, and dice them finely.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet and sauté the onion until it has become golden and translucent.
  • Add the eggplant and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes and the basil, check seasoning, and cook the sauce for 15 minutes.
  • While preparing the sauce you should also heat the pasta water, salt it, and cook the pasta; by this point the pasta should be about done.
  • Drain it, and turn it into a bowl with the mozzarella and freshly grated Parmigiano.
  • Serve at once, with more Parmigiano for those who want it.

TORTIGLIONI MELANZANA



Tortiglioni Melanzana image

An easy but very yummy pasta recipe with eggplant and kalamata olives.

Provided by A. Apolskis

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Italian

Time 1h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
½ teaspoon white sugar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup vegetable oil for frying
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
10 ounces tortiglioni (tube-shaped) pasta
2 tablespoons pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
2 tablespoons grated Grana Padano cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Steps:

  • Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and carrot until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour tomatoes into skillet and sprinkle sugar, salt, and black pepper into mixture. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and simmer while you complete remaining steps. Stir occasionally.
  • Heat vegetable oil in a separate skillet over high heat and fry eggplant slices in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain eggplant slices on paper towels.
  • Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in tortiglioni pasta and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
  • Mash tomato sauce with a fork until chunky and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in eggplant slices, Kalamata olives, Grana Padano cheese, mayonnaise, and pasta; stir lightly to incorporate.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 432.2 calories, Carbohydrate 63.2 g, Cholesterol 4.9 mg, Fat 15.9 g, Fiber 4.8 g, Protein 11.9 g, SaturatedFat 2.6 g, Sodium 338.1 mg, Sugar 8.5 g

LINGUINE ALLA MELANZANA (AUBERGINE PASTA)



Linguine Alla Melanzana (Aubergine Pasta) image

This is a very simple, but delicious way to enjoy aubergines and pasta. A nice starter for 6, or main for 4 people.

Provided by Eismeer

Categories     European

Time 20m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

500 g linguine (or other thick pasta)
1 large aubergine
2 garlic cloves (minced or chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
1 tablespoon chopped basil (fresh)
parmesan cheese (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Steps:

  • Cube aubergine (~1cm).
  • Boil pasta according to package description.
  • Heat olive oil until very hot and add aubergine cubes. Let cubes fry until lightly/medium brown and crispy (5-10 minutes).
  • Add garlic cloves and stir.
  • Reduce heat and add creme fraiche.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add chopped fresh basil. (If you like add 1 tsp butter to sauce).
  • Drain pasta and mix with aubergine sauce.
  • Garnish with parmesan and basil leaves.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 554.8, Fat 8.3, SaturatedFat 2.6, Cholesterol 10.3, Sodium 13.4, Carbohydrate 101.9, Fiber 8.7, Sugar 6.6, Protein 18

Tips:

  • Select ripe and firm eggplants: Choose eggplants that are free from blemishes and have a deep purple color. They should feel heavy for their size and have a firm texture when gently squeezed.
  • Properly salt the eggplant: Salting the eggplant helps to remove its bitterness and excess moisture. Generously sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices and let them rest for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.
  • Use high-quality olive oil: Olive oil is a key ingredient in Pasta alla Norma, so make sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. It will add a rich and flavorful taste to the dish.
  • Don't overcrowd the pan: When frying the eggplant slices, don't overcrowd the pan. Give them enough space so that they can cook evenly and get a nice golden brown color.
  • Use fresh tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are essential for making a delicious tomato sauce. Choose ripe, flavorful tomatoes and chop them into small pieces.
  • Simmer the sauce: Allow the tomato sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes to develop its flavor. This will help to concentrate the flavors and create a rich and flavorful sauce.
  • Cook the pasta al dente: Pasta al dente means that the pasta is cooked but still has a slight bite to it. This is the perfect texture for Pasta alla Norma.
  • Garnish with fresh basil: Before serving, garnish the Pasta alla Norma with fresh basil leaves. This will add a pop of color and freshness to the dish.

Conclusion:

Pasta alla Norma is a classic Sicilian dish that is both delicious and easy to make. With its combination of tender eggplant, flavorful tomato sauce, and creamy ricotta cheese, it's a dish that is sure to please everyone at the table. Follow these tips to make the best Pasta alla Norma possible, and enjoy this traditional Italian dish in the comfort of your own home.

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