Plant-Based Creamy Harissa Penne

Take your pasta game to a new level with this unique cream sauce that’s oil-free, plant-based, and can easily be made gluten-free! The recipe is rather straightforward: harissa and coconut milk. However, instead of using store-bought harissa we decided to blend our own using roasted peppers and onions.

Harissa is a North African sauce that gets its flavor from red peppers, onions, and garlic. Typically, the ingredients are roasted or smoked and spices like cardamom, cumin, caraway, and mint can be added. Recipes change from region to region, and the level of heat depends on how much and which hot peppers are used. Harissa is a common item in most grocery stores now, but typically the pre-made versions are loaded with olive oil. For our recipe, we skip the oil and keep the ingredients simple so that you can let the natural roasted veggie flavors be the start of the dish.

Harissa Sauce Ingredients 

• 1 large red pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup veggie stock or water
• Optional: 1-2 jalapenos

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Core and cut red pepper into large sections. Peel onion and quarter. Peel garlic and cut off woody end. Place them all on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pepper and onion starts to brown. If using hot peppers they can also be roasted with this step.

Add all ingredients into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and puree until smooth. Mixture will be slightly thick.

*You can use an airfryer for the roasting step. Program your airfryer to 350 F and set the timer for 25 minutes. It is best if the cut items can be laid out in a single layer.

---

 

Creamy Harissa Penne

Ingredients

• Half of the harissa sauce or approximately 1 cup harissa
• 14 ounces full fat coconut milk (can sub light)
• 1 pound dried penne
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• Your choice of mild flavored protein: roasted chickpeas, chicken, shrimp, tofu

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1/4 cup salt to the water. Cook penne according to box recommendation. Before draining the pot reserve 1/2 cup of water to be used with the sauce. Drain pot but don’t rinse the noodles.

Whisk together harissa, coconut milk, and pasta water. Heat until bubbles form on the sides of the pot. Add cooked noodles and stir while heating for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. This time allows the noodles to soak up the flavors.

Serve with a lean protein and veggies like red pepper slices, carrots, broccoli, etc.

---

Nutrient information provided using Lose It! App

The following nutrition information uses our harissa recipe. If you use a store-bought harissa the nutrition information will change. The nutrition information below does not include any other ingredients other than what’s listed explicitly in the recipe. 

Creamy Harissa Penne

Servings 8 | 306 Calories per Serving

 

45 g carb; 4 g sugar; 7 g protein; 10 g fat; 2.9 g fiber; 236 mg sodium

*Adding 15 ounces of canned chickpeas changes the protein per serving to 10.7 grams.