Harissa-Lemon Spaghetti-Os

It tastes like childhood, but better. A roasted garlic and tomato soup that’s amped up with a kick of harissa, some caramelized sausage and a touch of lemon. I love serving it with fresh mint and a dollop of Greek yogurt to help cut the richness. You could make this soup with any small pasta shape, but the circles (AKA anelli) make me feel like a kid again, and that’s kinda fun!

Equipment

Here’s everything you need to make my harissa-lemon spaghetti-os at home:

• large dutch oven or oven-safe pot
• chef’s knife
• cutting board
• blender
• wooden spoon or spatula

You can find the full ingredients list and instructions below!

Cooking Tips

1. Harissa paste sets this apart from other spaghetti-o recipes. If you don’t already have a jar, my favourite is MORESH Harissa with Lemon. It packs a lot of heat but is absolutely delicious. I’ve also tested this recipe with President’s Choice Black Label Harissa; it was slightly less spicy, but still great. The brand doesn’t matter too much, honestly, just give the product a little taste before adding — you’ll want to gauge the spice level and adjust to your preference. No one knows your spice tolerance as well as you do!
2. As mentioned in the intro, you don’t need tiny circle pasta (also known as anelli) to make this soup. Any small, tubular pasta will do the trick! Think: ditalini, macaroni, conchigliette or even alphabeto. You just want the pasta on the smaller side so that it cooks evenly and doesn’t absorb too much liquid during the cooking process.
3. If you want to save some time — and don’t mind doing a few extra dishes — feel free to get the tomatoes, shallots and garlic roasting in the oven first, then brown your sausages in a separate pan. If you do decide to use the extra pan, be sure to transfer all the yummy sausage drippings to the soup pot, this adds a lot of extra flavour that you won’t want to miss.

Harissa-Lemon Spaghetti-Os

A very comforting and nostalgic soup.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 hot Italian sausages about 350g
• 600-700 g cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 head garlic
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp harissa paste or less depending on your spice tolerance
• 200 g small, tubular pasta like anelli
• 2 tbsp lemon juice about 1/2 a lemon
• 10 mint leaves
• Greek yogurt for serving
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Meanwhile, remove and discard the casings from 3 hot Italian sausages. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large dutch oven and heat on medium. Once the oil is shimmering, break the sausage meat into bite-size pieces and add them to hot pot. Let cook undisturbed until golden brown on one side, then using your wooden spoon, break into smaller pieces and continue cooking until 1/3 of the meat is deeply caramelized. When the sausage is browned, transfer to a plate and set aside. Leave the sausage drippings in the bottom of the pot.
3. Cut 2 medium shallots into quarters and trim the top of 1 head garlic. Transfer to a pot along with 600-700g cherry tomatoes. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to evenly coat. Drizzle a little olive oil into the open side of the garlic and flip it over, ensuring the open side is touching the bottom of the pan. Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the shallots and garlic are soft.
4. Once roasted, transfer the tomatoes and shallots to a blender and squeeze in the roasted garlic, discarding the papery skin. Top with 2 cups water and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pot and mix in 3 cups chicken broth, 2 tbsp harissa paste and the cooked sausage pieces. Bring to a gentle simmer and mix in 200g anelli pasta. Bring back to a simmer and cook, continuously stirring, until the pasta is al dente. Make sure you scrape your spoon against the bottom of the pot occasionally to avoid sticking.
5. When the pasta is cooked, remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with fresh mint and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Notes

To remove the sausage casings, use a sharp knife to cut a slit in each sausage length-wise from top to bottom. Peel back the outer later (or casing) and discard.