• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Amy Casey Cooks
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian

    Roasted Harissa Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Spinach

    Modified: Mar 19, 2023 · Published: Feb 28, 2021 · by Amy Casey · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Share it!

    338 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    harissa cauliflower.

    Roasted Harissa Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Spinach. A north African thick spice sauce, harissa is warm, smoky, tangy, and spicy. It's a perfect compliment to the nutty and slightly sweet cauliflower and chickpeas. Serve this one of a kind recipe as a vegetarian dish.

    sheet pan with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and spinach with harissa

    This recipe has so much going for it! If you are new to the thick almost paste-like spice sauce that is harissa, I encourage you to give it a try. If you don't make it homemade, there are great ones available for purchase.

    For my personal chef clients, I slather it on baked salmon, mix it with hummus for a dip with veggies, use it to make salad dressings, and stir it into a homemade marinara sauce for a unique pasta dish.

    food processor with cilantro, dried chiles, cumin, tomato paste, garlic, olive oil

    what is harissa?

    Harissa is a north African condiment that is a thick paste or sauce. Think of it as a much more complex tasting hot sauce. It includes many flavors ~ tangy, spicy, slightly sweet and smoky. With mostly pantry ingredients including tomato paste, extra virgin olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, honey, and dried red chili peppers along with cilantro, garlic and lemon juice, it is easy to make.

    With a blender or food processor, harissa is a snap to make. And it will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

    harissa paste in a food processor

    the ingredients

    • tomato paste
    • honey
    • dried red chili peppers
    • garlic
    • cumin
    • smoked paprika
    • kosher salt
    • lemon
    • cilantro
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • cauliflower
    • chickpeas
    • baby spinach
    • raisins

    Scroll down to the recipe for the full quantities of the ingredients.

    This roasted vegetable dish with cauliflower, chickpeas, spinach and a few sweet raisins is one that pairs well with just about any sautéed, baked or grilled meat. With its multitude of flavors, it is the star of any dinner.

    This recipe also is a hearty vegetarian entrée when you are looking for a meatless meal.

    sheet pan with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and spinach with harissa

    suggestions and recipe tips

    • A blender or better yet a food processor makes easy work of preparing a batch of harissa. Just add all the ingredients and whirl.
    • To ensure the cauliflower gets of nice char, preheat the baking sheet. Also, do not crowd the cauliflower florets on the pan. This will cause the florets to steam and become mushy as they roast.
    • Use a large sauté pan when cooking the spinach. It will make easy work of containing all the leaves.
    sheet pan with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas

    more side dish recipes

    • Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey and Mustard
    • Slow Cooker Ratatouille
    • Garlic Butter Mushrooms with Blue Cheese
    • 20 Minute Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

    just one more thing

    If you make this delicious harissa cauliflower, chickpeas, and spinach dish, I’d love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

    Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

    roasted harissa cauliflower.
    Print

    Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    pan with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas

    Roasted Harissa Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Spinach


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Amy Casey
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegetarian
    Pin Recipe
    Print Recipe

    Description

    A north African thick spice sauce, harissa is warm, smoky, tangy, and spicy. It's a perfect compliment to the nutty and slightly sweet cauliflower and chickpeas. Serve this one of a kind recipe as a vegetarian dish.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 5 dried red chili peppers
    • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ½ cup cilantro, plus more for serving
    • 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut in florets
    • 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained
    • 8 ounces of baby spinach
    • 3 tablespoons raisins

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
    2. In a blender or food processor add the tomato paste, honey, dried red chilies, garlic cloves, cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Pulse the food processor 10 to 15 times, scaping down the sides once or twice. The harissa should be a smooth paste-like texture.
    3. Place the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl. Add the harissa and toss to coat the cauliflower and chickpeas.
    4. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and pour the harissa coated cauliflower and chickpeas on it. Make sure to spread out the cauliflower evenly on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. The cauliflower should be charred in spots.
    5. While the cauliflower and chickpeas are roasting, heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the spinach. Sauté and stir the spinach until almost wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the raisins and continue sautéing for an additional minute.
    6. When the cauliflower and chickpeas are done roasting, remove them from the oven. Add the spinach and raisins to the baking sheet and toss to combine.
    7. Season to taste with additional salt, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve.

    Equipment

    food processor

    Buy Now →

    blender

    Buy Now →

    Notes

    • A blender or better yet a food processor makes easy work of preparing a batch of harissa. Just add all the ingredients and whirl.
    • To ensure the cauliflower gets of nice char, preheat the baking sheet. Also, do not crowd the cauliflower florets on the pan. This will cause the florets to steam and become mushy as they roast.
    • Use a large sauté pan when cooking the spinach. It will make easy work of containing all the leaves.
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Category: entrée or side dish
    • Method: sauté and roast in oven
    • Cuisine: North African

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
    • Calories: 229
    • Sugar: 10.6 g
    • Sodium: 650 mg
    • Fat: 9.7 g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 32.8 g
    • Fiber: 8.3 g
    • Protein: 7.8 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @amycaseycooks on Instagram so we can all admire your work 🙂

    More Vegetarian

    • Whole and half Vietnamese spring rolls on a plate with dipping sauce.
      Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce {Fresh & Healthy}
    • 4 individual stuffed tomato, mozzarella and basil salads.
      Stuffed Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Caprese Salad
    • dish with ratatouille and a serving spoon.
      Easy Slow Cooker Ratatouille Recipe
    • chickpea salad with vinaigrette.
      Chickpea Tomato Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

    Share it!

    338 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. Joe Levine

      January 01, 2023 at 9:57 pm

      Really delicious. Question:when and where do you add the lemon juice? Recipe does not specify.

      Reply
      • Amy Casey

        January 02, 2023 at 3:49 pm

        Thanks for catching that Joe. The lemon juice is added to the food processor with the other harissa ingredients. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Personal chef Amy Casey.

    I'm Amy Casey and welcome to Amy Casey Cooks! I have a lifelong love of food and 20 years experience as a personal chef while cooking for over 300 clients. I share my tested, tried and true easy recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, and videos so you can make restaurant quality meals in your own kitchen. More about my culinary journey.

    Trending Popular Recipes

    • baked ham and egg cups
      Super Easy Ham and Egg Cups
    • bowl of cooked fluffy rice
      How to Cook Perfectly Fluffy White Rice {No Fail}
    • 2 pieces of baked cod with crispy panko topping.
      Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Herb Panko
    • baked oysters with 2 kinds of cheese
      Easy Baked Oysters

    Footer

    As Seen On

    Amy Casey cooks featured on logos

    back to top

    About

    • About Amy
    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    More Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Recipe Index
    • Accessibility Policy

    I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. By using these affiliate links, you are helping support this site - at no additional cost to you - and I genuinely appreciate your support. For more information, please see my disclosure policy for further details.

    Copyright © 2025 AmyCaseyCooks