Baked Pasta with Eggplant by Nonna Silvia
A Southern Italian dish, and the comfort that came with it
Nonna Silvia, along with others, was the first to move back into the historic Sassi (Rocks) of Matera. Long before it became a UNESCO site or a film set, she returned to the stones, the quiet, cave-lined streets of her childhood, because she felt a pull. She shared that it was a need to give back.
She had been away for years, building a life in art and history. However, it was only when she returned to Matera that she began to cook again, truly not just for nourishment, but for something deeper.
“Cooking is a pleasure for me,” Nonna Silvia says.
“And during some very difficult times for myself, cooking was liberating.”
There, she gravitated toward the dishes of her childhood: the ones passed down, made with what was local, seasonal, and simple.
One dish she returns to is baked pasta with eggplant. It’s her version of Pasta alla Norma, stripped down to the essentials: thin slices of fried eggplant, a slow-cooked tomato sauce, a layer of bubbling cheese.
More About Nonna Silvia
Matera
A retired art historian, she learned to cook in the kitchens of her childhood, watching her mother work by instinct rather than measurement. Those early days shaped her forever.
In summer, she prepares pasta al forno with eggplant, leaving out the meatballs for something lighter. Her repertoire also includes regional staples like fave e cicoria and baccalà, dishes that reflect the richness of Southern Italian tradition.
Nonna Silvia isn’t drawn to modern tricks or experiments. She stays close to what she knows best: slow cooking, good olive oil, and letting ingredients speak for themselves.
About the Recipe
Nonna Silvia’s Baked Pasta with Eggplant (Serves 4)
⏲️ Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Shopping List:
210 mL Olive Oil
450 grams Canned Tomatoes San Marzano Preferred
1 Sprig Fresh Basil
Salt
2 Eggplant
1 Egg
40 grams White Flour (All Purpose)
120 ml Ice Cold Water
30 mL Seed Oil
300 grams Pasta (Mezze Rigatoni)
31 grams Grated Parmesan (Fine)
60 grams Mozzarella Braid
How To Make It
Step 1: Cook The Sauce
Set a saucepan over medium heat and drizzle in your olive oil. Once hot, add canned tomatoes and salt. When bubbling, add a sprig of fresh basil and cook for five to ten minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. While the sauce is cooking, prepare your eggplant.
Step 2: Prepare the Eggplant
Remove the ends of your eggplants and cut them longways into ¼-inch thick slices. Prepare your batter.
Step 3: Create A Batter
Crack one egg into a bowl, add the flour and a pinch of salt, and then beat until a thick mixture forms. Slowly add ice-cold water (the colder, the better) until it loosens to a pancake batter-like texture. Before frying the eggplant, boil water for pasta and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Step 4: Fry the Eggplant
In a separate saucepan, combine olive and seed oil until about a quarter inch deep. Heat until the oil crackles. While it heats, coat the eggplant evenly with batter on both sides and fry. Flip every 3–4 minutes. You want it to slightly change color and lightly crisp, not fully brown.
Step 5: Cook the Pasta
Cook pasta until al dente. Set aside a third of your sauce and combine the remaining two-thirds with your cooked pasta.
Step 6: Assemble the Layers
In your baking dish, create a pasta base. Over top, layer shredded parmesan, shredded mozzarella, fried eggplant, sauce, and repeat. Top your last layer of eggplant with sauce and parmesan to create your crust.
Step 7: Bake & Enjoy
Add your baking dish to the oven and bake at 450°F for 20 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes (the longer it sits, the better it will combine).
Step 8: Mangia, Mangia
Now that you're done, there's only one thing left to do!
✨ Featured in Appetito Magazine
Also, something we’re blushing about…
As one of our Nonnas might say, “Finally! Someone’s paying attention.”
We’re honored that anana was recently featured in Appetito Magazine, a beautiful publication that shares stories of food, memory, and culture.
The piece dives into our mission of preserving generational recipes, honoring our Nonnas, and building a bridge between the old ways and the next generation.
Read the full story here.
We add recipes to our collection weekly, drawing from kitchens across Italy's diverse regions and nonnas. 👌 Join our community and share your attempt at these recipes with @cookwithanana. We'd love to see what you make!
Until next week,
Buon Appetito!