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Lasagna alla Norma

Serves 6

Prep time 45 mins

Bake time 30 mins

Ingredients:

  • 3 large eggplants, diced into 2cm cubes

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (for roasting eggplant)

  • 2 tbls dried oregano

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Red Sauce:

  • 1 large brown onion, finely chopped

  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (for sautéing)

  • 700ml passata

  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 3 tablespoons dried oregano


White Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 750ml milk

Pasta:

Toppings:

  • 100g Parmesan cheese, grated

  • 100g mozzarella, sliced

Lasagna alla Norma

Instructions:

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  2. Roast Eggplant: Toss the diced eggplant with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes or until caramelized, tossing halfway through.

  3. Prepare Red Sauce: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Increase heat, add wine, and let it simmer. Add passata, tomato paste, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the roasted eggplant and set aside.

  4. In case you're using homemade pasta or store-bought version that need to be precooked, fill a large pot of water and set on high heat so it's ready when you need it later.

  5. Make White Sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour, whisking into a paste. Pour in milk, whisking consistently until the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Once the sauce turns into beautiful, thick and smooth baschemal set aside for a moment.

  6. Cook Pasta: Boil salted water. If using homemade pasta, cut into sheets and place into boiling salty water for about 1-2 minutes (don't ovecook) until al dente. If using store-bought, follow package instructions.

  7. Layering: In a 20cmx35cm baking dish, start with a layer of red sauce, followed by a layer of pasta. And then repeat, alternating red sauce, white sauce and pasta (2 full layers) ending with a layer of both sauces on top. Add mozzarella slices and sprinkle Parmesan over the entire dish.

  8. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Watch as the sauce bubbles and the cheese turns into a golden, melty overture of perfection.

  9. Cool and Serve: Allow the lasagna to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.


The flavors in this dish will evolve over the next 24 hours, making it even more delicious the following day. Of course, this assumes you can resist the delightful cheesy smells when you first take it out of the oven and opt to refrigerate it overnight!


Enjoy this delicious Lasagna alla Norma!

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