Baked Tomato Pasta With Harissa and Halloumi

Name: Baked Tomato Pasta With Harissa and Halloumi
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: Salt; 1 pound penne, fusilli, farfalle or other shaped pasta; 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce; 3 tablespoons harissa paste (see Tip); 8 ounces halloumi (or feta), coarsely grated; 1 cup chopped fresh dill (leaves and stalks); Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published March 12, 2024

Baked Tomato Pasta With Harissa and Halloumi — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 4(787)
Notes: Read community notes

Keeping a jar of store-bought pasta sauce in your pantry pays high dividends in this five-ingredient recipe. Jarred pasta sauce is ripe for enhancement; here, a confident amount of harissa injects not only spice, but also a deep smoky, savory tang. This is a versatile and adaptable weeknight baked pasta: You can experiment with different flavors of sauce to achieve a different finish; try vodka sauce for a creamier finish or arrabbiata for something spicier. Grating the halloumi allows the firm, salty cheese to melt evenly through the pasta. A hefty amount of dill brings much needed lightness to this dish, but you could substitute parsley or chives.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

Salt
1pound penne, fusilli, farfalle or other shaped pasta
1(24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
3tablespoons harissa paste (see Tip)
8ounces halloumi (or feta), coarsely grated
1cup chopped fresh dill (leaves and stalks)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the minimum cooking time stated on the package. (For example, if the recommended cooking time is 10 to 12 minutes, cook it for 8 minutes.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain the pasta.
Step 3
Add the marinara sauce, harissa and reserved pasta cooking water to the empty pot and stir to combine. Add the pasta, ⅔ of the halloumi and ¾ of the dill; stir to coat the pasta well. Transfer to a large, 8-by-12-inch baking dish and spread in an even layer.
Step 4
Top with the remaining halloumi and bake until the sauce is bubbling around the sides and the cheese is melted and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 5
To serve, drizzle with olive oil and top with the remaining dill.

Tip

If you don’t have harissa, use another spice paste like Sriracha, sambal oelek, or even just a pinch of crushed red pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

787 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Alisa10 months ago

3 tablespoons of harrisa is low for 24 oz of tomato sauce. Add more while tasting to find a perfect balance. Good quality halloumi doesn't melt so feta is the better choice. Cilantro would be a good substitute for feta if you don't have or don't like dill.

P. Hoy10 months ago

-This was a really nice recipe, easy to make, and very flavorful. Thank you. -I always appreciate comments that would make it easier to make a recipe such as it was submitted, but not so appreciative of all of the changes and what seems to be better choices to those submitting comments.

BevM10 months ago

This recipe sounds like someone who's replaced feta with halloumi, homemade sauce for jarred sauce, tomato paste with harissa paste, and basil with dill then said it wasn't very good...

Betsy1 day ago

This was so good. We loved it. We made it because we had the ingredients and because it looked easy. We weren’t expecting much in view of the several rather negative comments. Hardly any substitutions, just less dill and added garlic and small amount of thyme. Also Sriracha sauce. This is definitely a keeper, and next time we will add some spinach. Thank you NYT.

From Toronto with Love3 days ago

I made this the other night and it was a huge hit! Shared some with my neighbor, as well, and she loved it too. Admittedly, I riffed a bit and added some frozen mixed vegetables and turkey sausage... so yes, a bit different but used halloumi and sambal (I ran out of harissa!). So tasty and will definitely make this again. Great for a week and pretty straightforward for a weeknight.

Kim2 weeks ago

We made this with feta and crushed red pepper instead of halloumi and harissa and it's definitely a favorite. We will look for harissa and make as published next time!

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