Recipe Guide
The Ultimate Harissa Pasta Guide
There are pasta sauces you make because you have to eat something. And then there are pasta sauces you make because you genuinely can't stop thinking about them.
Harissa pasta is the second kind. Bold, warming, and deeply savoury — it transforms a simple tomato pasta into something that tastes like it took hours. Ready in twenty minutes. One pan. Impossible to stop eating.
Which harissa should you use?
Not all harissa is created equal. The quality of your harissa will make or break the dish.
Our picks
🌶 Harissa Original — the classic choice. Bold, rich and perfectly balanced for pasta.
🔥 Smoky Chipotle — deeper and smokier, adds a campfire warmth to the sauce.
🍄 Truffle Harissa — the unexpected star. Earthy, spicy and genuinely extraordinary.
The best pasta shapes
A thick, chunky harissa sauce needs the right pasta to cling to. Here's what works best:
- Penne — the classic. Tubes catch the sauce inside and out.
- Rigatoni — bigger tubes, more sauce per bite.
- Fusilli — the spirals grip the sauce beautifully.
- Paccheri — large wide tubes, perfect for a dinner party.
Avoid long pasta like spaghetti — the sauce is too thick to coat it evenly.
The base recipe
Serves 4 · Ready in 20 minutes
You'll need
- 400g penne or rigatoni
- 2–3 tbsp Dalia's Pantry Harissa Original
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley & parmesan to serve
Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the harissa and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for 8–10 minutes.
Toss in the drained pasta with a splash of pasta water. Stir until silky and well coated.
Serve with fresh parsley and a generous grating of parmesan. Enjoy every bite.
How to make it even better
- Add prawns. Pan-fried and tossed through at the end — especially good with Truffle Harissa.
- Add cream. A splash of double cream stirred through makes it silky and indulgent.
- Add greens. Wilted spinach or kale adds colour and balances the richness.
- Top it right. Parmesan, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil. Non-negotiable.
The pasta water trick
Always save your pasta water. The starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta, creating a silky coating rather than a watery puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Save at least half a cup — you'll be glad it's there.
Common mistakes to avoid
Too little harissa. The sauce can handle more than you think. Taste as you go and be generous.
Under-salted pasta water. It should taste like the sea. Properly salted water seasons the pasta from the inside out.
Burning the garlic. Keep the heat medium and keep it moving. Burnt garlic ruins the whole dish.
Frequently asked questions
Is harissa pasta spicy?
Dalia's Pantry Harissa Original has a warm, building heat — bold rather than fiery. Start with one tablespoon if you're sensitive to spice and build from there.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes — the base recipe is already vegan. Leave out the parmesan or substitute with nutritional yeast. All our harissa varieties are vegan and gluten free.
Can I make it ahead?
The sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cook the pasta fresh and toss it through the reheated sauce with a splash of water to loosen.
What wine pairs with it?
A medium-bodied red works beautifully — Grenache, Côtes du Rhône or a lighter Shiraz. For white, try a Vermentino.
All natural. Vegan. Gluten free. Made in small batches with real ingredients.
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