Pasta alla Norma comes from Catania in Sicily: fried aubergine, tomato sauce, basil and grated cheese. Onion and garlic are easy to replace here. The real work is in well-roasted aubergine and a sauce that is allowed to reduce slowly. Buon appetito!

Please note: this article is general information, not personal medical advice. If you have gut symptoms, talk to your GP or a FODMAP-trained dietitian.

Ingredients

  • 280 g gluten-free rice and/or corn pasta, dry (approx. 70 g per person, gives approx. 145 g cooked)
  • 300 g aubergine, diced (1 large)
  • 56 g olive oil (4 tbsp)
  • 28 g garlic-infused oil (2 tbsp)
  • 400 g canned whole tomatoes in juice (1 can)
  • 15 g tomato paste (1 tbsp)
  • 1 g chilli flakes (½ tsp)
  • 1 g dried oregano (1 tsp)
  • 4 g sugar (1 tsp; optional, to balance the acidity)
  • 10 g fresh basil (1 small handful)
  • 40 g Parmesan, grated
  • 4 g salt, for the aubergine and sauce (⅔ tsp, to taste)
  • 1 g black pepper, ground (½ tsp, to taste)
  • 3000 ml water, for cooking the pasta (approx. 3 kg)
  • 15 g salt, for the pasta water (2½ tsp)

Method

  1. Roast the aubergine. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Toss the aubergine with the olive oil and a third of the salt. Roast for 25 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and soft.
  2. Make the sauce. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and fry the chilli flakes and oregano for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes and crush the tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes and season with the rest of the salt, the pepper and the sugar if using.
  3. Cook the pasta. Bring 3 litres of water with 15 g salt to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the packet (usually 8 to 12 minutes). Gluten-free pasta turns mushy quickly: taste it a minute early and don't rinse it. Keep 100 ml of the cooking water.
  4. Combine. Toss the pasta and half the aubergine through the sauce. Add a splash of cooking water (about 50 ml) and heat for 1 minute over low heat, until the sauce is glossy.
  5. Serve. Divide between four plates (about 145 g cooked pasta per person), top with the rest of the aubergine and scatter with torn basil and Parmesan.

FODMAP check

Gluten-free pasta — Portion matters

Gluten-free pasta is low FODMAP in a normal serve, but fructans rise in large serves (according to the Monash app, via The FODMAP Formula and Fody Foods). That's why we use 70 g of dry pasta per person. That gives about 145 g cooked (Fody measured about 700 g cooked per 340 g dry), but it varies by brand. Choose pasta made from rice, corn or quinoa; gluten-free pasta made with soy or legume flours can be high FODMAP, Monash warns.

Regular wheat pasta — Portion matters

Wheat pasta is only low FODMAP in a small serve and high in a normal serve, according to Monash data as cited by A Little Bit Yummy. Monash itself rates spelt pasta green at a small serve and red at a normal serve. Going for regular pasta? Keep the serve small, check the Monash app and fill the plate with extra aubergine.

Aubergine — Low FODMAP

Aubergine (eggplant) is on Monash's low-FODMAP shopping list. Here it is 75 g per person.

Canned tomatoes — Low FODMAP

Canned whole tomatoes in juice are low FODMAP in a limited serve; Monash retested them in 2022 (via Karlijn's Kitchen and FODMAP Everyday). Here it is 100 g per person. Ready-made pasta sauce with onion and garlic is already high in a small serve, according to Monash. Together with the tomato paste (about 4 g per person), tomato products can add up, so keep the sauce to this amount.

Parmesan — Low FODMAP

Hard cheeses are on Monash's low-FODMAP shopping list. Here it is 10 g per person.

Herbs and chilli — Low FODMAP

According to Monash, dried and fresh herbs and most spices are low FODMAP. Hot chilli can irritate the gut regardless of FODMAPs, so dose to taste.

Variation: pesto without garlic

Prefer pesto? Pine nuts are only low FODMAP in a very small serve, according to Monash data via George Eats. So blend basil, Parmesan and garlic-infused oil with walnuts or pumpkin seeds, which have a more generous low-FODMAP serve. You get a full, creamy pesto without a single garlic clove.

Sources