Harissa Chickpea Spicy Pasta (Print View)

Spicy chickpeas in harissa-tomato sauce tossed with pasta for a hearty satisfying meal.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried short pasta (penne, rigatoni, or fusilli)
02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Chickpeas & Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 2 tbsp harissa paste
07 - 1 tsp ground cumin
08 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
09 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes
10 - 2 cans (14 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
11 - ½ cup vegetable broth or water
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ To Finish

13 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon
14 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
15 - Optional: crumbled feta cheese, to serve

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
03 - Incorporate minced garlic, harissa paste, ground cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and vegetable broth. Stir well, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then bring to a simmer.
05 - Cover skillet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and flavors blend.
06 - Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
07 - Remove skillet from heat. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped parsley or cilantro. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with extra herbs and optional crumbled feta cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours cooking when you actually spent less than forty minutes, start to finish.
  • The harissa gives it this warm, complex heat that doesn't overpower—it just makes everything taste more like itself.
  • Chickpeas are quietly one of the most satisfying proteins, and here they get to shine alongside spices that actually deserve them.
02 -
  • Rinsing the canned chickpeas is not optional—that starchy liquid will make your sauce cloudy and heavy instead of clean and glossy.
  • Harissa varies wildly by brand, so start with less than you think you need and taste as you go, because you can always add more heat but you can't take it back.
  • The lemon at the end is not a garnish, it's a transformer—it's the difference between a good dish and one that makes people close their eyes and take another bite.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you drain—that starchy liquid is liquid gold for loosening sauces and helping flavors meld.
  • Toast your spices in the oil before adding the wet ingredients, because that's when they release their oils and transform from flat flavors into something three-dimensional and alive.
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