Carrots are tossed with harissa—a North African spice blend—before they’re roasted in the oven until brown and tender, and then topped with scallions and pistachios.
What is Harissa?
Harissa comes from North Africa. It’s most commonly found as a paste, but is also available as a dry spice blend, which is what I have in my pantry and used in this particular recipe. The main ingredient is chile peppers—which can range from mild to spicy—but it can also contain a variety other spices like smoked paprika, cumin, fennel, garlic, and coriander. The exact ingredient list will vary, but the particular blend I purchased has 12(!) different spices included and has a very nice kick to it. Harissa is beautifully complex and acts as a great flavor booster to whatever dish it’s added to.
Harissa Paste vs. Spice Powder
Harissa paste is simply the spice powder blend that has had liquid, usually oil, added to it to achieve a paste consistency. For the most part, they can be used somewhat interchangeably in recipes. This harissa roasted carrot recipe essentially makes a paste out of the powder through the addition of olive oil to toss with the vegetables.
How to Cut Carrots for Roasting
There’s no “best” way—it’s really whatever your preference is. Cut them in half or quarters, cut them into matchsticks, slice them into coins, or you can even roast them whole if they’re skinny enough. Choose your own adventure!
While in a number of recipes it’s recommended that you cut ingredients into same sized pieces so that they cook evenly, when it comes to preparing vegetables for roasting, I actually like to cut them into weird random shapes. This leads to a variety of textures, which I really like. Some carrots will be a little firmer, while others get a nice char, and some end up almost chewy.
What Goes with Roasted Carrots?
I toss the roasted carrots with some red wine vinegar for a bit of brightness. You can use any sort of acid, like other types of vinegar or even lemon or lime juice to achieve the same effect. Scallions add some nice freshness to these earthy, roasted carrots. I also add chopped pistachios for some crunch—Yay! Texture!—but any type of nuts you have on hand will work.
The harissa I used was definitely not shy in terms of spiciness (it made my lips tingle a little bit), so some dairy could be added if you want to tame the heat. A dollop of yogurt or some crumbled feta or goat cheese would be a nice relief from the spice if you need it.
Harissa Roasted Carrots Recipe
Carrots are tossed with harissa—a North African spice blend—before they're roasted in the oven and then topped with scallions and pistachios.
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces (or however you want)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons harissa dry spice blend*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (or any acid)
- Chopped pistachios and scallions, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400˚F.
- Toss the carrots, olive oil, harissa, and salt together until evenly coated and spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing once or twice during cooking, until the carrots are tender and browned, about 45 minutes.
- Toss the carrots with vinegar. Transfer to a serving dish and top with some pistachios and scallions.
Notes
*Harissa paste can be used in place of the dry spice blend.
[…] I bought some harissa recently that I’ve been playing around with a lot—such as with this harissa roasted carrots recipe—and it naturally made its way into my breakfasts too. Having stocked my pantry with bacon, sweet […]