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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recipe
Roasted Harissa Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Spinach
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
- 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.
- Place the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl. Add the harissa and toss to coat the cauliflower and chickpeas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Season to taste with additional salt, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve.
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.
Joe Levine says
Really delicious. Question:when and where do you add the lemon juice? Recipe does not specify.
Amy Casey says
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 🙂