Spaghetti Alla Norma

Once again, I feel like this has already been posted...but I can't find it! So sorry if it's a repeat. Spaghetti Alla Norma is a favorite around here!

I begin by peeling the tomatoes. I cut a little "X" in the bottom...

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And then drop them in boiling water until the skin begins to peel...usually about 30 seconds. You don't want them to actually cook.

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Once the skin starts to curl off, it will peel easily.

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You're supposed to "plunge" these in ice water when you take them out of the hot water...but, honestly, I forgot tonight and they were fine.

Then I chop the tomato and saute with garlic and olive oil.

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I double the amount of eggplant in this because we really love that flavor. The more veggies, the better - right? I don't do anything special to the eggplant - just peel and chop. I never have any problems with bitterness.

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After the eggplant is soft (about 15 minutes), I add chopped, fresh basil and stir.

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Then I just add cooked Whole Wheat spaghetti and chopped mozzarella. I have used the expensive mozzarella and the cheap. I guess the expensive is a tad better, but not much, really. Tonight, I used the generic.

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We love this! Lots of great flavor. We also like to sprinkle crushed red pepper on it to give it a little kick. If you try it, let me know what you think!

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