Pasta Alla Norma

One of my favorite vegetarian dishes is Pasta Alla Norma. I saw this when watching Food Network one time and was like WOW that is so simple and easy. It calls for only a few ingredients that all cook for about the same amount of time.

My favorite part about this dinner would be the chunks of fresh Mozzarella. It adds a nice creamy, soft texture to contract with the bite of eggplant. One of the best things about vegetarian dishes is all of the color from the vegetables. In this recipe I had fresh tomatoes from the farmers market that I used. Yellow, red, and the purple from the eggplant will really draw you into a dish. Follow along for the recipe and instructions!

Ingredients:

• 1 Box of Spaghetti (I used the veggie spaghetti, but you can also use any pasta you like or have)

• 1 Jar of Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce (or homemade sauce)

• 1 medium Eggplant (cubed)

• 1 small Roma Tomato (cubed)

• 1 medium Heirloom Tomato (cubed)

• 1 cup Fresh Mozzarella (cubed)

• 2 tsp Basil

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

If you want to add meat, I suggest using Lamb or Beef Meatballs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and boil water over medium-high heat in a medium pot (SALT YOUR WATER)

2. While the oven preheat and water boils, dice up your Eggplant and Tomatoes.

3. Toss the Eggplant and Tomatoes in the olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper.

4. Lay the Eggplant and Tomatoes on the sheet pan and place them in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until Eggplant is tender.

5. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

6. In a medium size pot, add in the jar sauce to heat it up.

7. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain and add the pasta into the sauce to finish cooking.

8. Place the pasta on the plate and top with the roasted vegetables and fresh mozzarella!

If you try this dish, let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you about this how you liked it. Don't forget to tag #yellowforkfoodblog if you post any pictures!