I made this dish a lot in the summer, sans harissa. Inspired by an Ottolenghi recipe, it’s always a hit. It’s quick and requires very little prep and just a handful of ingredients. I’ve already talked about my love for hosting dinner parties and this is a perfect side dish to add to the table. Now that it’s fall and dinner parties are moving indoors, I thought I’d add make it a little bit more interesting and an add fiery element to it. That’s how this Harissa Charred Tomatoes with Yogurt was born.

a little bit about harissa

Harissa is a North African hot paste, and just a dab is enough to enliven anything it touches. It’s quite fiery. I’ve tried different brands and have noticed considerable differences, but ultimately it’s a hot chili pepper paste, so proceed with caution. For this recipe I added 1 tbsp and it was quite spicy, so feel free to add as little or as much as you can handle.

Harissa is pretty easy to find, specially in shops that specialize in North African and Middle Eastern foods. Trader Joe’s also has it.

the recipe

This recipe is very straightforward. Add all the ingredients – except for the yogurt – to a baking dish and mix to combine. This dish is very Mediterranean inspired, so despite the addition of harissa. I wanted to keep it mostly Mediterranean, so I also add a tablespoon of capers for that lemony, savory taste. It’s easier than having to zest a lemon, but feel free to substitute the capers for lemon zest and a add little bit of lemon juice to the yogurt.

I wanted to keep the prepping very minimal, so there’s no chopping involved, just tossing everything together in one baking dish.

Roast the tomatoes until they begin to blister and juices are bubbling. Then, turn on the broiler and broil until they’re perfectly charred and they start to blacken on top. Meanwhile, just season the yogurt with salt and a generous grind of black pepper and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.

The contrast between the cold yogurt and hot tomatoes will make the cold yogurt melt, turning it into a delicious dip of sorts. So I like serving it with naan bread or focaccia – or just as a regular side dish.

Add a generous amount of good-quality olive oil so the tomatoes can roast in a rich, luxurious sauce until tender. This recipe makes four servings as a side dish or two as a main.

If you make this Harissa Charred Tomatoes with Yogurt please be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and I love responding to every comment. And don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your photos!