This easy harissa pasta recipe is SO flavorful and ready in 30 minutes, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Also very versatile and fully vegan + dairy-free, this recipe features harissa paste, vegan cream, tomatoes, garlic and vegetables. Adjust the spicy level to your taste!
Welcome to our newest creamy pasta recipe: harissa pasta!
It is perfectly creamy, a little tangy, spicy to your taste and filled with umami deliciousness, this recipe is sure to be a new favorite!
It is also loaded with vegetables and this dish comes together in under 30 minutes. This makes it such a great speedy last minute dinner you can make during the weekdays, but also pretty and special enough for the weekends or to serve to guests.
It features harissa paste, which we have become obsessed with since introducing this harissa vinaigrette on the blog, but also a ton of garlic, onion, tomatoes, spinach and sweet green peas. For an extra kick of freshness, serve with basil and lemon juice. The sauce also includes a vegan cream (you will have a few easy options to choose from) to create a sauce that's very silky and rich in texture.
This harissa pasta recipe really is packed with amazing flavors, thanks to the harissa paste. The tomato cream based sauce combined with this tasty North African chili red paste creates such a perfect balance of spiciness vs creaminess. You can adjust how spicy you want it to be and simply look for a mild harissa paste/sauce if serving to kids or if you are sensitive with heat.
There are many ways you can customize your pasta dish: feel-free to load it up with more vegetables, add extra plant-based protein and even, there are alternatives to harissa paste if you don't have any but still want to try it out using something else.
Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️
Highlights of this recipe
- Quick 30-minute dinner recipe
- Easy to adjust spicy level to your heat tolerance
- Ultra flavorful creamy pasta sauce
- Customize with your favorite veggies
- Makes for yummy leftovers for lunch the next day
- Vegan, dairy-free and easy to make gluten-free
What is harissa made of and where can I buy it?
Harissa is a spicy red pepper chili sauce originating from the Maghreb region (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, etc).
It is a red sauce (it looks a little bit like a textured tomato sauce) made out of roasted red peppers, spicy chili peppers (such as Baklouti), garlic, spices and dried herbs (such as coriander and cumin) and olive oil. The specific recipe for harissa can vary across different regions.
You can find harissa in most grocery stores (or get harissa online if that's easier). It might come in a jar or in a tube and how spicy the harissa is will depend on the brand.
Harissa paste in a jar looks more like a sauce with milder flavors. Harissa paste in a tube looks more like tomato paste with flavors more concentrated and potentially spicier. Both types will work in this recipe.
You can also make your own harissa paste from scratch!
Ingredients you'll need
- Pasta: use any kind that you like. I think long noodles work well for this recipe, so I used whole-wheat spaghetti, which also added extra plant-based protein to the meal. Feel-free to opt for regular white pasta and choose your favorite shape, such as linguini, rigatoni, farfalle, penne or fettuccini.
- Harissa paste: I used the harissa sauce from the brand Mina, which was only moderately spicy to our taste. You can also use a harissa paste from a tube, which is usually thicker and may be spicier too. Simply add more cream to your pasta sauce if needed to compensate.
- Tomato: you will need a medium-large tomato for this recipe. You can swap for cherry tomatoes if you prefer or even some canned tomatoes (about 1-1 ½ cup of diced tomatoes) if that's all you have.
- Roasted red pepper: harissa pasta is made out of red pepper, so adding some more roasted red peppers really enhances the flavor of the whole dish. I used roasted jarred red peppers from the brand 365 and kept the extra from the jar to add in sandwiches during the week. You can also make your own roasted red peppers! This Mexican buddha bowl post will show you how. If you don't have roasted red peppers, then just add another tomato!
- Garlic: use as much as you want, this sauce really is amazing with a strong garlic flavor. I used 4 large cloves of garlic!
- Onion: sweet or yellow onions work.
- Dried herbs: I combined dried oregano and basil, but feel-free to swap for parsley or Italian mix if you prefer.
- Frozen peas: I love their "pop" texture mixed in the sauce and they add extra sweetness naturally to a spicy-ish sauce. The small green peas are often sweeter, so choose these ones if you can.
- Spinach: I love baby spinach for their tender texture and mild flavor. Baby kale would also work well.
- Nutritional yeast: if you don't have it, then simply omit. It adds a mild cheesy flavor that works great with the vegan cream.
- Lemon: I used half of a lemon, but I actually added more in my plate, it really brightens up the dish and intensifies the flavors!
- Vegan cream: there are a few options you can choose from for a vegan cream. I used this plain vegan cream from the brand Nut Pod (I use it in my coffee, so I always have some available), but you can also use canned coconut milk instead. For a WFPB recipe, then you can also blend some soaked cashews with water (¾ cup cashews + ½ cup water) and use this as a creamer too.
How to make harissa pasta
I recommend to prep and chop the vegetables before getting started since the cooking process will go pretty fast. This meal should be ready within 30 min!
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook your pasta al dente. I like to set a timer on so I don't overcook the pasta, which will finish up cooking in the sauce later on.
Also, I recommend to keep some pasta cooking water on the side in case you need to loosen up the sauce later.
Once cooked, drain the paste and set aside until ready to combine with the sauce.
Make the sauce
In a large pan, warm up a little oil (or not, use water for an oil-free recipe) and then, cook the onion with some salt on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes stirring often.
Then, add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for one more minute stirring constantly.
Add the roasted red peppers, tomatoes, harissa paste, nutritional yeast, green peas and water or veggie broth. Stir well and keep cooking for 5-8 minutes or until desired consistency (allow the extra moisture to evaporate).
Then, add the spinach and cook for 2 more minutes or until mostly wilted.
Once the sauce looks done, then add the lemon juice and pour the vegan cream over. Stir and taste to adjust flavor to your preference, such as salt/harissa paste/lemon juice.
Combine and serve
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and stir to combine.
If you need to adjust the consistency of the sauce to make it thinner, then you can add a splash of pasta cooking water or simply a little more cream or water.
Serve right away with fresh basil and a side of lemon wedge. Enjoy!
How to adjust spicy level
It is very easy to adjust how spicy you want your pasta to be by adjusting how much you incorporate of the harissa paste. The heat level will depend widely on the brand, so you might want to taste it first and see how much you want to include.
Mild
Start with ½ tablespoon and add more as needed. You can always add more of the paste towards the end of the cooking process, so cook the sauce with just a little bit to start with and taste at the end to adjust.
Moderate
1-2 tablespoons should give you a moderately spicy sauce.
Spicy
For a more spicy result, then you probably will need to include at least 3 tablespoons to your sauce. Go up to 4-5 tbsp if you are looking for some heat or if your harissa isn’t that spicy.
Helpful tips
- Be sure to cook the pasta al dente, the noodles will keep cooking in the sauce!
- This recipe makes enough for 2 adults (my husband and I finished the whole batch). So, if making for more people, then simply double the recipe!
- Also, I used half of a box of 16 ounces of spaghetti (meaning about 8 ounces of pasta) to keep this recipe very saucy. But, you can adjust and incorporate more noodles if you want.
- The harissa I used wasn’t very spicy, at least to my taste, but some harissa paste can be quite spicy. So, if you end up with a sauce that's pretty hot, then you can try to dilute the spiciness with more cream, nutritional yeast and even add a little sweetener, such as maple syrup.
Serving suggestions
This vegan pasta recipe goes well with a side dish that's light, such as a simple green salad tossed in a creamy balsamic vinaigrette or a sweet vegan honey mustard dressing to balance out the spiciness of the pasta.
A side of crusty bread would also be amazing with this meal, so you can dip it in your bowl and scoop up the sauce. Whole wheat rolls are a treat paired with this kind of saucy pasta meal!
Also, you can serve with a generous dollop of vegan mascarpone cheese or vegan ricotta. This would add an amazing creamy layer to your dish and help cool down the heat too.
As a side note, I like to serve warm pasta over a bed of arugula. This helps add more greens into our diet and the leaves slightly wilt under the warm pasta, which is oddly delicious! You should try it!
Variations to the recipe
There are a ton of ways you can modify this recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- More veggies: feel-free to include mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli or zucchini. I also love the idea of adding a few whole cherry tomatoes to the pan and let them pop and soften slightly within the sauce.
- Extra plant-based protein: adding some spinach to the sauce and using whole wheat pasta actually makes this recipe fairly rich in protein. But, if you are looking for a meal that's higher in protein, then serve with extra cubes of roasted tofu, tempeh or cooked lentils. This smoky tofu would be great paired with the flavor of this pasta dish.
- Ultra spicy: other than simply adding more harissa until hot enough for you, you can also add some red pepper flakes to your pasta to boost the heat level.
- No cream: if you don't have any cream, then simply omit, it will still be delicious!
Storage tips
Keep the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The pasta might soften while resting and the sauce will thicken a little bit, but it will still be delicious!
To reheat, add an extra splash of moisture, such as water or even cream, and heat up using the microwave or the stove.
I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
FAQ's
Harissa is made out of roasted red peppers, spices, chili peppers and olive oil. It is a sauce that's naturally vegan!
This pasta wasn't that much spicy, although heat tolerance varies widely depending on your taste and the brand of harissa you are using.
The pasta sauce is naturally gluten-free. To make this whole recipe GF, then make sure to use a GF pasta. We love the brown rice noodles from the brand Jovial.
If you don't have harissa paste, then a good harissa alternative would be to swap for sambal oelek (chili pepper paste) instead. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed. Also, I think gochujang paste would work amazingly in this recipe, although would bring some Asian flavors to your recipe.
Similar recipe to try!
- Gochujang pasta
- Harissa dressing
- Vegan creamy tomato pasta
- Bucatini pomodoro
- Simple coconut milk pasta sauce
- Vegan cajun pasta
- Penne pomodoro
- Oat milk Alfredo pasta sauce
- Vegan sun-dried tomato pasta
- Tikka masala pasta
- Creamy vegan spinach pasta
I hope you enjoy this harissa pasta recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Harissa Pasta (Vegan, 30-min)
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti or noodles of your choice - I used about half a 16 oz package of whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 4 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2-3 jarred roasted red peppers - drained and diced (or one more tomato)
- 2-3 tbsp harissa paste - or to taste to reach desired heat level
- 1 medium-size fresh tomato - diced
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth or water
- 2 packed cups baby spinach
- ½ lemon - juiced
- ½ cup vegan cream - I used the cream from Nut Pods (see notes for more options)
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. You can also keep some pasta cooking water on the side in case you need to loosen up the sauce later.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Warm up a large pan with a little oil (or not, can be made oil-free) and then, add the onion with a pinch of salt. Keep cooking for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for one more minute.
- Add the roasted red pepper, tomato, harissa paste, nutritional yeast, green peas and broth/water. Stir well and cook for about 8 minutes on low-medium heat or until the vegetables are soft and the texture becomes saucy.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes or until wilted, then add the lemon juice and vegan cream. Stir and cook until combined and the sauce is warm.
- Add the pasta to the pan and combine with the sauce. You can add some pasta cooking water if needed to loosen up the consistency. Taste and adjust salt/lemon juice/harissa paste to your preference.
- Serve right away with vegan parmesan cheese, fresh basil and wedges of lemon. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove or using the microwave and add a splash of water if needed to loosen up the sauce.
- For the vegan cream: I used the vegan plain cream from the brand Nut Pod. Alternatively, you can also use canned coconut milk or also, you can make your own vegan cream by blending together about ¾ cup of soaked raw cashews with about ½-3/4 cup of water until smooth (keep the extra cashew cream for another recipe).
- You can customize this recipe and add more vegetables or plant-based protein to it, such as broccoli, zucchini, roasted tofu, cooked lentils, etc. Check out the blog post for more ideas!
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