These harissa roasted vegetables take minimal preparation and just a little patience as they roast for an incredibly flavor-packed dish. They work perfectly as a side, or serve with couscous or other grain for a meal in itself.
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Sometimes super easy is the way to go, but without skimping on flavor, and these tasty veggies are a perfect example. Minimal prep, easy to adapt and versatile in how you serve them: they have a lot going for them.
Roasted vegetables are great at the best of times, but with a little extra help, they're meal-worthy. Or maybe a special side, depending on what suits. Worth trying, either way.
What is harissa?
Harissa is a chili sauce or paste from the Maghreb region in North Africa. The ingredients can vary but they typically include different types of peppers, garlic, olive oil and sometimes other aromatic herbs or spices.
The flavor is slightly smoky, with a gentle sweetness and aroma, along with spice. It's a very versatile condiment and delicious alongside a whole range of things like roast chicken and added into cooking, like lablabi (Tunisian chickpea soup/stew).
You can buy it ready-made in most good supermarkets or you can make your own (I went easy with store bought here).
While harissa is maybe more often served on the side or with meats, it adds a great flavor to already tasty roasted vegetables with minimal effort.
All you do is mix it with some oil, toss the vegetables in the mixture, then roast. The tasty flavors work their way into the vegetables as they cook for extra deliciousness.
What vegetables should you use?
The vegetables here are by no means fixed. They are really easy to change to what you have and what you prefer. I recommend at least adding some onion, as it caramelizes really nicely to give a good base, and I like to have a mix of textures, color and flavors. But really, it's completely up to you.
Vegetables you might include (far from an exhaustive list!):
- Root vegetables like sweet potato, squash, parsnip and carrot cut into chunks.
- Softer vegetables like eggplant/aubergine, zucchini/courgette and pepper in slices or chunks.
- Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli, cut into florets, or Brussels sprouts in half.
Make sure you keep in mind how long things take to cook. If the vegetables you choose don't all cook at a similar rate, then cut those that are slower smaller, or place some in to roast first, followed by the rest slightly later.
How to serve harissa roasted vegetables
Since couscous is a popular side in Maghrebi cooking, it seems a natural pairing here if you want to make a meal of these vegetables. I suggest adding a herby yogurt here to help bring everything together (and since the vegetables are drier). Some whipped feta, hummus or other sauces could also work well.
You also may prefer to add some more harissa, or go more salad-like with tahini sauce or other simple dressings. A lot depends on your taste and if you want to build up the spice, or balance it out. It's flexible and adaptable, so experiment away.
You could also serve them as a side to other dishes, such as roast meats, fish or with stews and tagines with similar flavors.
These harissa roasted vegetables are a great minimal-effort dish that's hearty and full of flavor. It's perfect on a cold night to warm you and fill you up, with the tasty roast vegetables given that bit of spice, though it would be great any time. Sometimes the best meals are the easiest, and a bonus when they are healthy too.
Looking for more vegetarian meals? Try these:
- Lemon mascarpone pasta, a simple combination of a creamy yet light sauce, pasta and veggies
- Mushroom galette, an easy and delicious savory tart
- Cuban-style quinoa bowl with grilled sweet potato and mango-avocado salsa
- Vegetarian bibimbap, a delicious mix of simple seasoned vegetables and rice.
Plus get more inspiration in the vegetarian recipes archives.
Harissa-roasted vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 carrot or 1 ½-2 if small
- ½ onion suggest sweet onion or red onion
- ½ red pepper
- 1 small eggplant aubergine, or ½ larger
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil divided
To serve (optional)
- ½ cup couscous
- 1 teaspoon olive oil approximately
For herby yogurt (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro coriander, chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoon plain yogurt
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice or a little more to taste
- ½ teaspoon olive oil ideally extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
- Peel the sweet potato and carrot and cut each into roughly bite-sized chunks (make the carrot a little smaller, as they are slower to cook). Peel the onion and cut into wedges. Remove seeds and stem from the pepper and dice (roughly 1in/2.5cm pieces).
- Chop the stem end off the eggplant/aubergine and cut into wedges - you want the pieces bigger than the root vegetables as they will shrink down more but still not huge. Place all of the vegetables on a baking sheet/tray.
- Mix together the harissa and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir to form a smooth paste. Drizzle it over the vegetables then toss them so they are well coated with the spiced oil. Spread the vegetables out so they lie in a single layer - this will help them roast rather than steam as they cook. Drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables, especially on the eggplant as they can dry more as they cook, or any pieces that look less coated with oil.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for around 40 minutes in total until the vegetables are tender starting to brown slightly. Turn the vegetables roughly halfway through cooking.
- As the vegetables are nearing being done, prepare the sides, if adding. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl, add a small drizzle of olive oil and pour boiling water over it to just cover the level of the couscous by a small amount. Cover the bowl and leave for a couple minutes to absorb the water. Then fluff up with a fork.
- For the yogurt sauce, finely chop the cilantro/coriander and parsley and add them to the yogurt, along with the lemon juice, oil and a little salt, pepper and garlic powder, and mix well.
- Serve the vegetables over the couscous with the herby yogurt sauce to the side or drizzled over.
Video
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
This recipe was first shared in November 2015 and has been updated, primarily with new photos.
Try some other vegetarian meal ideas:
- Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Eggplant Rollatini by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Greek Stuffed Baked Zucchini by The Weekend Gourmet
- Moroccan-style Lentil Chickpea Stew by Food Lust People Love
- Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Portobello Stack by The Freshman Cook
- Stuffed Butternut Squash by Life Tastes Good
- Vegetable Strudel by Palatable Pastime
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Cindy, they are a very easy addition but work so well.
DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts
Harissa sounds like a great way to add flavor! Thanks for participating this week.
Christie
Harissa is oh so tasty! I've never roasted veggies with it. I can't wait to try that.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Christie, it's delicious.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Roasted veggies are my favorite and then add some harissa for spice and almonds for crunch and protein and you have the perfect dish.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Wendy, so true!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
I've never cooked with harissa before and now you're making me want to try! This dish looks so hearty, flavourful and delicious!
Caroline's Cooking
It's definitely worth a try, Nancy - so easy but tasty.
Shaina
So many tasty ingredients and flavors. I love Mediterranean style cooking. This is right up my alley!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Shaina, hope you manage to give it a try - it's so easy but delicious.
Liz
SO easy and packed with yummy flavors and textures! What a lovely vegetarian dish!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Liz!
Susan
I'm all for big flavors with minimal effort and had not thought of using harissa. Yum!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Susan - minimal effort but tasty is always good, and this fits the bill!