Baked Tomato Pasta With Harissa and Halloumi

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 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.

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).

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Take care as some harissa pasta can be overly salty

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 can never find halloumi - it's been a couple of years and even then it wasn't common. Any cheese alternatives? One of the Mexican cheeses is very similar but I have never cooked it this way.

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!