Eggplant Spaghetti “Alla Norma”
with Parmesan & Chili Flakes
- Milk
- Wheat
Get ready, farmers market friends—it's eggplant time! For these hearty vegetarian pasta bowls, you’ll slice and fry up tender, savory eggplant until golden and tender, then toss it with al dente spaghetti in tangy marinara sauce. A sprinkle of nutty shredded Parmesan cheese completes the dish.
Ingredients
1 unit
Graffiti Eggplant
1 unit
Crushed Tomatoes
2 clove
Garlic
6 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
2 unit
Scallions
6 ounce
Spaghetti
(Contains: Wheat)
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
0.13 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
8 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Trim ends off eggplant; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Lay flat and cut into ½-inch strips. (TIP: For faster prep, stack three rounds at a time before cutting into strips.) Thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince or grate garlic.
Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add eggplant and a big pinch of salt (we used ¾ tsp; 1½ tsp for 4 servings). Cook, undisturbed, until one side is deeply browned, 2-4 minutes, then flip and continue cooking, stirring once or twice, until browned and softened all over, 2-4 minutes more. (You may need to cook in batches, adding more oil between batches; reduce heat if pan begins smoking.)
Turn off heat; transfer eggplant to a plate. Wipe out pan.
Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
Heat another drizzle of olive oil in pan used for eggplant over medium heat. Add scallion whites, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes (add more if you like things spicy!); cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add crushed tomatoes, ⅛ tsp sugar (¼ tsp for 4 servings), and salt (we used 2 tsp; 4 tsp for 4); cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 5-7 minutes more.
Transfer eggplant, drained spaghetti, and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (⅓ cup for 4 servings) to pan with sauce; toss until evenly coated.
Turn off heat; stir in half the Parmesan and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4). Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in sauce.
Divide pasta between plates; sprinkle with scallion greens and remaining Parmesan. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Some found it delicious, while others thought it bland; adding Italian seasoning, garlic, or balsamic vinegar boosted flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Cooking eggplant in batches took longer than expected; consider breading for crispiness or dicing for quicker cooking.
- Suggestions: Reduce salt significantly; try adding mushrooms, spinach, or protein like lentils or shrimp for extra heartiness.
- Portions: A few wanted more eggplant or veggies; others found it filling, especially with added protein.
- Texture: Some enjoyed the eggplant, while others found it mushy; experiment with breading or different cooking methods.
Reviews from our home cooks
This recipe was extremely time-consuming--frying the eggplant slices in batches took a long time, and this took much longer than the recipe card suggested. There was also no mention of coating the eggplant pieces in cornstarch to help them crisp up during the frying process. This is a suggestion I would make for recipe improvement. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this recipe, and even though it took a long time, it was totally worth it. Thanks for another great meal idea using eggplant!
Loved the eggplant and actually wish eggplant prepared this way - cut into small pieces and sautéed with salt until brown on both sides - would make a great vegetable side dish option for other meals.
We really liked this! I altered it a bit though. For one, one of the eggplants was rotten, so I cut the other one into smaller pieces. Instead of frying them up crispy, I let them saturate in more olive oil and get mushy. I added shallot instead of green onions and some Italian seasonings and capers.
I did not expect to like this dish as I don't usually care for eggplant. This was surprisingly delicious and filling.
TOO MUCH SALT! I used a half teaspoon less than you suggested, and it was still twice as much salt as needed. The crushed tomatoes probably need only a half teaspoon, not two teaspoons, since there is already salt in the eggplants, I like the idea of the recipe, but the salt muddied the flavors and overwhelmed any flavor from the eggplant.
This meal was yummy, but I feel like the part where it said to add 2 teaspoons of salt to the sauce must've been a mistake. It seemed like a lot, so I only added 1 teaspoon, and it was still a little too salty. I'm not a salt-sensitive person either. I usually add more salt than the recipe calls for. 1/2 teaspoon would have been plenty in addition to the other times salt gets added in the recipe.
The dish was great. The reason I gave it 4 starts is because seasonings were not included. Normally a meal like this would include Italian seasoning. This meal did not have it. BTW, I love their Italian seasoning packet. Luckily, I have my own Italian seasonings and was not shy about adding them. Otherwise, this would have been so bland. I also added mushrooms because a red sauce, Italian meal without mushrooms is blasphemy.
Easy and tasty! I breaded the eggplant and put it on top of the pasta! Fabulous
I took a chance on this and I'm so glad I did!! This is delicious and will order again if offered.
First time my husband ever liked eggplant. This was a winner!
