Harissa Spaghetti Squash with Quinoa

Spaghetti Squash meets Morocco 

For the love of Spice

For the love of Spaghetti squash.. Nature's gift to pasta lovers. Those chronic dieters and gluten free people like me, know and love this wonderful early fall veggie. Spaghetti squash is a great source of potassium, folate, omgea 6 fatty acid and vitamin B more.  When fresh off the vine this squash needs nothing more than a spritz of EVOO, a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper. But as I build out my culinary clean eats portfolio I like to experiment with other options and not just tomato sauce. Hence spaghetti squash has become my choice to deliver the sweet and spicy flavors of Morocco. Meet Harissa! 

Harissa is traditionally a hot pepper, garlic paste used to flavor meats, grains, stews etc. in Northern African and midle eastern cuisine. Harissa like Indian curry varries by the region. From a fiery red hot paste to a mild red or green 'sauce'.  Harissa origins  

I am still experimenting with my homemade Harissa recipes trying to take advantage of the end of summer bell pepper season. More to come on my homemade versions and our favorite splurge .. Harrisa butter.

In the mean time there are wonderful jarred versions from Mina. No added fillers and makes for a quick meal. We have tried the mild, hot and green. Hot is by far our favorite, but we like our food really hot. For those just trying Harissa for the first time, I would suggest the Mina's red mild version. (Where to find? Wegmans,  -  you can find it in the international section... Harris Teeter, Fresh Market it is next to the hot sauce)

So now for the marriage of harissa sauce and veggies. You can find this dish in my fridge at all times, as we use it for a snack or a quick add on for lunch. I first made this recipe when I had an open Mina jar in the fridge, some cherry tomatoes and a few red peppers that were too good to toss and not good enough for anything other than roasting. Feel free to add other roasted veggies as you have them available. I've added roasted eggplant and yellow squash for more of a Ratatouille taste. Enjoy this clean eats!!

Harissa Spaghetti Squash over Quinoa

 Harissa Spaghetti Squash with Quinoa

(Makes 4 - 6 servings)

1 4 - 5 Lbs Spaghetti squash

1 10 oz jar Mina Harissa (Hot or Mild)

1  medium Zucchini includes skin

1 container (~15), Cherry Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper or 1 small jar of roasted red pepper (but it is pepper season so why not roast your own)

Olive oil

Salt  (I prefer Himalayan)

Fresh ground pepper

1 cup Quinoa – yields ~4 cups cooked

2 cup water

1 – 4 raw garlic clove smashed or finely chopped or add water roasted garlic and 1 tbs of garlic juice (optional) – See garlic tip below

Fresh ground pepper (optional)

Heat oven to 350^o F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Place on a baking sheet cut side up. Spray with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Bake in hot oven ~40 -50 minutes until fork tender. Pull from oven and let cool until able to handle but warm enough to heat up the harissa sauce.

Cut raw zucchini in half – removing stalk and flower ends, place on a baking sheet cut side up. Spray with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Cut the red pepper in half and deseed, place cut side down on baking sheet. Cut cherry tomatoes in half placing cut side down on the same baking sheet as the zucchini and pepper and lightly salt and pepper. See cooking tips below.  Cook in the same oven as the squash for ~15 – 20 minutes. You will know the pepper and tomatoes are done when the skin turns dark and blisters. Remove from oven let cool for a few minutes.

To cook the quinoa – Rinse 1 cup quinoa in a mesh strainer with small enough holes that the quinoa will not fall through. Place quinoa in a medium pot and cover with 2 cups water, add optional fresh ground pepper and garlic and stir. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and then cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer covered for 14-17 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and then place lid back on to steam for another 4-5 minutes. You will only use about 2 cups of the cooked quinoa.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh from the skin and place in a glass or metal non-reactive bowl. Add jar of Harissa. Mixing gently cover to keep warm.

Using a spatula scrape the tomatoes and the yummy caramelized juice into the bowl with the squash and Harissa.  

Cut the zucchini into bit size pieces and combine with squash and tomatoes.

During this time the pepper skin should have steamed a bit making it easy to pull off the skin. Remove skin and cut the pepper flesh into bit sized chunks and mix into the harissa and veggie mixture.

Place ½ - ¾ cup of cooked quinoa on a plate, cover with ¼ of the Harissa and squash mixture.

Enjoy your fresh clean eats!

Nutrition ¼ Harissa recipe : Calories 240, Fat 7g, Carbs 45g (5g Fiber, 7g Sugar), Protein 5g

Nutrition ½ c cooked quinoa : Calories 110, Fat 2g, Carbs 20g (3g Fiber), Protein 4g

Cooking tips – I place parchment paper on the baking sheet that the pepper and tomatoes are baked on, as it helps with sticking and clean up. The liquid from the tomatoes will seep out and caramelize on the baking sheet making for yummy flavor if it has not baked onto the sheet. Also note.. you can roast the pepper in the traditional fashion, on the burner or grill. But I like to take advantage of the fact that the oven is already on. 

As part of our weekly mise en place, we cook up ~ 2 cups of quinoa and an extra squash to keep in the fridge. It helps cut out time on weekly diners and lunches but also keeps good clean eats on hand for snacking. This week I roasted up eggplant, squash, quinoa and cut up cauliflower. 

Partial batch of cooked Quinoa for the week

Mise en place

Roasted Garlic tip – I always keep both oil and water roasted garlic on hand in the fridge. It is very simple and easy to make your own. Peel a ramekin full of garlic toes, lightly salt and pepper and cover with either water or olive oil cover loosely with foil. Place the ramekin on a glass pie dish and place in oven before heating it up. Let it bake while the oven is heating up, and a bit longer ~15 – 20 minutes until the liquid is bubbling and a knife easily slips into the garlic. Pull from oven and let cool. Store garlic and juice in a small mason/jelly jar in the fridge. Will keep for weeks.

I use the garlic water (juice) to deglaze pans or to add flavor to my quinoa etc.

Roasted Garlic in oil