This recipe for Marry Me Pasta alla Norma combines the viral “Marry Me Chicken” trend with one of my Sicilian favorites, Pasta alla Norma.
The Inspiration
Apparently, I’m one of those gals that goes to Europe and won’t stop talking about it. A few months ago, I was laid off from my corporate job and decided to spend a few weeks traveling. It slowly turned into 3.5 weeks in Europe with my boyfriend’s mom and was truly a trip of a lifetime! (and yes, we got along beautifully)
Spending the past few years in a desk job, I used to dream of a trip to Italy. I traveled quite a bit pre-covid, but always wanted to save Italy, specifically Sicily, for when I could spend a good chunk of time there. While I’m an American mutt, if I had to pick a culture I most identify with, it’s Sicilian. My mother’s side is 100% Sicilian American so I was raised to not forget our history (mainly the food)…or dozens of cousins. For most of my childhood, I thought Ricotta was spelled “Rigotha” because of the last hints of an Italian (or maybe Brooklyn?) accent I picked up.
My grandfather’s family was from Palermo and my grandmother’s family from right outside Palermo so I wanted to make sure I explored around the capital. Palermo was our home base and we explored from there.
The one dish that was available at almost every restaurant was Pasta alla Norma. If you know me, I could eat pasta every day of the week. The Pasta alla Norma was definitely my favorite as I love eggplant. The ingredient I found most interesting was the Ricotta Salata. I grew up on regular Ricotta but hadn’t seen Ricotta Salata! Ricotta Salata is a bit firmer than classic Ricotta which makes it super fun to shred over pasta. I easily found it at Whole Foods.
Gluten Sensitivity & Eating Pasta in Italy
My choice to go gluten free was one I made at the age of nine-teen. I was experiencing skin irritation, migraines, and general fatigue. When my mom discovered she was gluten free, I decided to try it out for a week and never went back.
Traveling is one of the most difficult (and often disappointing) things to do with food allergies. I’ve visiting France a few times previous to this trip and have not experienced any issues eating gluten (hello, croissants). In other European countries, I haven’t had as strong of luck.
When visiting Italy, I wanted to give the pasta and pizza a try as I’ve heard of gluten sensitive folks not having issues there. It was NOT a good idea. I didn’t have a huge reaction to some of the pastas was pizza was detrimental (I’ll spare you the details). After a few meals, I decided to start asking for gluten free options to feel my best. The first restaurant I asked in, I asked how it compared to the regular pasta. The server responded “This is Italy, of course it’s good”.
The gluten free pasta options in Italy were DELICIOUS! If you are gluten free (or even gluten sensitive) and traveling to Italy, please do not feel like you are missing out by ordering gluten free. It was incredible to indulge in all the food and still feel my best.
This Recipe Coming Together
I absolutely LOVE sun-dried tomatoes in just about anything. I decided to try this recipe at home to relive my trip, but wanted to add my own spin.
While there are some awesome gluten free pasta brands out there, I wanted to add some protein to this dish and decided to make it with chickpea pasta. I personally like the Banza brand because they are available in a lot of locations, you can also order on Amazon!
Print
Marry Me Pasta alla Norma
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Marry Me Pasta alla Norma is a perfect match between the viral “Marry Me Chicken” and the traditional Sicilian Pasta alla Norma.
Ingredients
1/2 lb gluten free pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 eggplant
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cream (or oat creamer)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1/4 cup ricotta salata
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
Fresh black pepper for garnish
Instructions
1. Chop your eggplant, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and garlic.
2. Sauté the veggies in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add in the cream, basil, and parmesan. Cook for about 30 minutes on low or until all the tomatoes are cooked into the sauce.
3. While your sauce is cooking, cook your pasta in a separate dish for 2 minutes less than allotted time on the packaging.
4. Add your pasta into the sauce and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. Top with shredded ricotta salata and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
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