Baked Tomato Pasta With Harissa and Halloumi Recipe (2024)

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.

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...

Easy and tasty! We added Parmesan on top and basil instead of dill. Next time, we will up the feta (love halloumi but it's pretty expensive at our local store).

-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.

Wonder if adding something like ground lamb would be good to try and add more protein into this dish.

A marvelously flexible recipe, I highly recommend taking it at its word regarding substitutions. Ideally this recipe serves as something of a template as it responds very well to adjustments, ingredient swaps and additions. My family and I enjoyed it immensely using feta, garlic chili oil and with the addition of some spinach. Will surely be making it again and likely with some new changes!

Just made a version of this, using feta cheese instead of halloumi, because it's what I had on hand. Used what was left in a jar of rose harissa, approximately 3 tablespoons. No dill (again, didn't have it on hand). I was worried it would be too much sauce but I think it was about right. I'd make this again. It's a nice riff on a simple pasta+sauce bake for when you don't have a ton of time/energy to cook. You didn't need to follow the recipe exactly - modify with what you have on hand.

Instant classic. Overeating risk. Cook the exact recipe but add spinach and more harissa. Thank me later. Amazing dish.

Take care as some harissa pasta can be overly salty

For those complaining about testing different things with the dish and then reviewing the recipe did you read the recipe introduction?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.

Made this with a jar of arrabbiata instead of marinara and it turned out to have a lovely complicated spice that still packed a significant kick. The halloumi + dill + harissa combo did make me raise my eyebrows a bit, but it's a wonderful flavor combo. I feel like substituting feta would make it too salty.

I made this dish using chick pea pasta which has a higher protein content (and is gluten free). I also used sriracha for heat and feta instead of harrisa. It was simply delicious and will be one of my staples. What a find!

I am not much of a cook at 52 but found this easy and I am always looking for recipes that broaden my palette as well. Excellent, easy, and everyone loved it. This is the main reason I subscribed to the NYT. Thx!

I made this for my average-picky six year old. He took one bite and said "Mom, can you make this again sometime?" He then talked about it every day for a week and on the last day he said, "Mom, do you remember the pasta dish you made? It's sort of like it transported me to another place." Feel like that pretty much says it all.

I used bucatini, doubled the halloumi with my second block in cubes mixed into the pasta (this leads to using one whole Costco package of halloumi) and added a package of frozen baby spinach, along with a few dollops of ricotta. Additions made this a very substantial and potentially potluck-worthy spaghetti-pie like dish!

I made my own marina using fire-roasted tomatoes, and it paired beautifully. I also like a ton of herbs, so added parsley and basil, and this was... delicious.

I liked this with a few adaptations. I added a bad of frozen spinach before baking. Delicious. I added additional harissa but would stick to 3 tablespoons next time. This casserole lacked a needed creaminess for me so I added a scoop of labneh with the leftovers. That was perfect. Will definitely make again.

Pretty good. I always have halloumi on hand-great mideast grocers nearby, & its saltiness makes the dish. I usually have dill on hand, and it was better than expected. I bet basil or cilantro would be good, too. The only substitute I made is calabrian chili paste for harissa, which I forget I was out of. Because my husband likes at least a little bit of meat in his dishes, I chopped up a few chix meatballs I had available. Good. And I could do the dishes while the dishes baked. win.

I made the recipe as written and it was so delicious. I used lots of fresh dill and that was lovely with the harissa. I used halloumi.

Simple and easy!! Added a bag of baby spinach to save it from languishing in the crisper. Also! Pour the reserved pasta water into the emptied marinara jar and gently shake to get every last bit of sauce out!

Just not terribly interesting. It might improve with a lot more halloumi, and something like fresh spinach or sauteed mushrooms to add a textural element.

Could this be made a day ahead? If so, how much longer in the oven? What about adding some panko to the top?

Made as listed in recipe and it was delicious. It all worked. Try it!

Surprisingly delicious, fast and easy, becoming something special for a weeknight dinner. It’s really a Cypriot vegetarian pasta bake— or Greek or Turkish if you prefer. I finely grated the halloumi so it melted well throughout. Used three generous TBS of Belazu brand rose harissa paste which is milder than regular harissa, Rao’s jarred marinara, fresh dill and rotini pasta. Everything as directed. Next time I will garnish with chopped fresh mint which is faithful to Cyprus, maybe also chives.

I used feta cheese instead of halloumi, and Sriracha instead of harissa

I thought this had real promise until I got to the dill. I've never seen dill in any Italian cookbook. And then I looked more carefully: jarred marinara - OK, heavy on oregano & basil, probably. Harissa - OK, cumin & caraway, if memory serves. Then dill? What a mess! I'd suggest deleting the dill and harissa. Add some more oregano and basil maybe, hot pepper if you like. And probably sub Mozzarella and Parm for the Halloumi and you're in business.