I love this gluten-free Pasta alla Norma because it’s satisfying and you can’t tell it’s gluten-free.
Tresomega Nutrition kindly sent samples of their pasta for me to try. I cooked with their products and am sharing this recipe and my honest thoughts about the pasta.
The Tresomega pastas I used were impressive: great texture, easy to cook, and they held together when prepared according to package directions. Based on that, I would buy them again.
Pasta alla Norma is a favorite of ours when we dine out, so I adapted a simple home version using Tresomega pasta and fresh vegetables. It’s an easy, flavorful weeknight meal.
How to make this dish
Tresomega sent fusilli, penne, elbows and spaghetti. For this meal I cooked two shapes so each of us could enjoy our preference — fusilli for my husband and penne for me.
Start by preparing your vegetables: I used graffiti eggplant, shallots and sliced mushrooms.
Bring two separate pots of water to a boil and lightly salt each pot. Heat a large sauté pan or wok over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Add the sliced shallots and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. While the shallots cook, cut the eggplant into large chunks.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the eggplant to the pan, and sauté for another 5 minutes so the eggplant softens and begins to brown.
When the water is boiling, add each pasta shape to its own pot. The fusilli reached al dente in about 11 minutes and the penne in about 13 minutes; check your package instructions and taste for desired doneness.
Return to the vegetables: add the sliced mushrooms, 2 teaspoons garlic (or two crushed cloves), 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add one large and one small can of diced tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes so the flavors meld.
Drain the pastas and keep them in separate bowls. Spoon fusilli into one bowl and penne into the other, then top each with the eggplant and tomato sauce.
Serve immediately while hot. The dish pairs nicely with a simple green salad or crusty gluten-free bread if you like.
Doesn’t it look delicious? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Which shape do you prefer: fusilli, penne, elbows or spaghetti? Leave a comment and let me know your favorite gluten-free pasta.
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
Gluten Free Pasta Alla Norma
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 shallots sliced
- 3 small eggplants graffiti or similar, cut in chunks with skins on
- 10 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 14.05 ounces diced tomato
- 8 ounce box Tresomega fusilli pasta gluten-free
- 8 ounce box Tresomega penne pasta gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons salt for pasta water
Instructions
Make it!
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Put two separate pans of water on to boil; lightly salt each pot.
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Heat sauté pan on medium and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
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Add sliced shallots and sauté for 5 minutes.
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Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the eggplant; sauté for 5 minutes.
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Add sliced mushrooms and garlic paste; sauté for 2 minutes.
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Add pasta to their pots and stir while they cook. Fusilli took ~11 minutes and penne ~13 minutes to reach al dente.
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While pasta cooks, add diced tomatoes, basil, oregano and salt to the vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Drain pasta and place in separate bowls.
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Plate the pasta and spoon the vegetable-tomato mixture on top.
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Serve and enjoy.