An open jar filled with homemade tomato harissa.

Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa

Five-minute flavor – how does it get better than that? Well, for starters, this Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa is awesome on more than just pork chops. Try it with chicken, lamb, beef, fish, or even eggs. Use it as a sauce, or a marinade, or in a braise. The possibilities are endless.

An open jar filled with homemade tomato harissa.
Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa

Try this spicy Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa with pork chops, chicken, lamb, beef, and more. This recipe uses a can of fire-roasted tomatoes (a pantry staple) and a food processor to make big flavor in just five minutes.

Harissa Sauce in Jar with the words, "Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa".

Back to School

We are three days into resuming a normal routine. Alarm clocks are back in service. The children have returned to school, and I am slowly getting used to life without them in the house all day. After three weeks together, I found the house eerily quiet on Monday and actually, quite lonely.

It was a wonderful holiday break, and in some ways, I was more productive with the house full. The return to normalcy made me realize that while I do have more time to work without interruptions, it is the daily minutia that wears me out. The lunches to pack, the drives to and from school, the ironing, the homework.

It means a little less time to cook and the need for dinners that can be created swiftly.

Fire roasted tomatoes, garlic cloves, and red chili flakes in a food processor.
Red pepper flakes in a bag on a countertop.
Fresh cilantro on a countertop.

Quick Dinners

I was running behind schedule the other night and had one eye on the clock as I took a peek into my refrigerator. Chicken or pork chops were the choices. I decided to go with the center-cut pork chops – but really, either one would have done fine because I realized I could make something flavorful in just about five minutes.

Fire-Roasted Tomato Harissa Sauce

Five-minute flavor – for me, the fast track to something delicious means using fresh, bold ingredients, and I was craving a spicy harissa sauce. I didn’t have fire-roasted peppers, so I decided to use one of my pantry standards: fire-roasted tomatoes.

The fiery tomatoes worked quite well, and it was almost like a When Harissa Met Salsa scenario in my blender. A quick blitz was all it took to make a sauce that greeted my taste buds with the heat I was craving. Before I knew it, the table was set, and we were all home again. The house was full, and loud with non-stop chatter…it was time to sit down to dinner. We had a lot to catch up on.

Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa in a jar with a spoon.
Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa on a grilled pork chop served on a white plate with mixed grains and a green salad.

More Condiment Recipes

There are so many amazing condiments you can make from scratch! If you enjoyed this Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa, consider making some of these other popular condiment recipes:

Vegan Fish Sauce
Achara: Filipino Green Papaya Relish
How to Make Vanilla Extract and More Homemade Extracts
Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing
Rhubarb-Wine BBQ Sauce

Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa

Five-minute flavor-how does it get better than that? Well, for starters, this Fire Roasted Tomato Harissa is awesome on more than just pork chops. Try it with chicken, lamb, beef, fish, or even eggs. Use it as a sauce, or a marinade, or in a braise. The possibilities are endless.
Course Condiments
Cuisine Middle Eastern, North African
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Calories 213kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 1/4 tablespoons red chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a food processor, chop the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, garlic, red chili flakes, cumin, salt, sugar, and cilantro until it is a smooth paste.
  • With the motor running, add the olive oil and blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
  • Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

Adapted from Harissa Sauce by One Tribe Gourmet, as featured on Saveur.
Nutrition information is per cup of the harissa sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 1074mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2218IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
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Comments

Recipe Rating




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  1. Billy

    I am totally going to use this on everything.. This sounds so good! thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Helen

    Hi there……greetings from New Zealand. We love all things spicy, soooooo will definitely be trying this. Having made pork chops for dinner (not something I use that much I have to say) but they were tough as old boots…!!! So could I please ask………how did you cook your pork chops, and how thick were they. Honestly the ones we get here look more like road kill (flat as). Also wondered if buying a boneless loin and cutting thicker ones would be a better way to go. Thank uuuuuuuuuuu

    Reply
  3. Gina

    Lonely, I thought it was cause for celebration, lol. Okay, maybe a touch lonely. It was a good excuse to catch up on the backlog of work though. I love this sauce, I think it will be perfect to slather on some bbq. Hope you are having a wonderful week my friend. Looking forward to another chit chat and eating fest soon.
    -GIna-

    Reply
    • liren

      Funny, I thought I would feel the same way, Gina, but I really missed them! Now that it’s been a while, it’s nice to have my productive time, but I will say, it was nice to have our little vacation to bond :) Looking forward to seeing you again soon! xo

      Reply
  4. Patty

    Hi Liren!
    This beautiful fiery sauce is drawing me in, I would love to offer this with a grilled piece of meat-wish it would warm up outside so I could venture out to start my grill;-)

    Reply
    • liren

      I know! I’m starting to get antsy for spring, it will be nice to grill outdoors again. For now, I’m settling for my handy grill pan :)

      Reply
  5. Lawyer Loves Lunch

    Would it be wrong to eat this with tortilla chips? Potato chips? Crackers? Because I don’t think I can wait until the protein cooks so I can drench it with this harissa :)

    Reply
  6. Cristina

    Hi Liren: Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! Love this roasted tomato harissa. I had been drooling over a gift-packaged one I saw in a catalog over the holidays and love that you’ve featured this recipe. Hubbs will love it! :)

    Beautiful images, Liren!

    Reply
    • liren

      Happy New Year to you and yours, Cristina! Thank you, and how perfect, why buy when you can make it yourself!? Hope hubby likes it.

      Reply
    • liren

      Thank you Lisa!! It definitely is a handy sauce to have, I’ve been using it so much this week.

      Reply
  7. Brian

    I’m sure it’s jarring having them out of the house again. You’ll find your groove eventually.

    Loving this harissa recipe! I was actually planning on making some myself!

    Reply
  8. Cookin Canuck

    I had the same feeling as you when my kids when back to school…far too quiet and lonely. That being said, it’s nice that they aren’t bickering so much from spending too much time together! This harissa is absolutely gorgeous. I can imagine slathering it on chicken, fish, sandwiches…

    Reply
    • liren

      Ah, the bickering! That, I did not miss, that’s for sure :) But I will say, the bickering has subsided since they returned to school (I do think they actually missed each other, too!).

      Reply
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