Tunisian-Style Baked Pasta with Tuna, Capers and Harissa
A sliceable Tunisian-inspired pasta bake: short pasta tossed in a harissa-spiced tomato sauce with tuna, capers and green olives, bound with eggs and Gruyère, then baked until golden. The sauce borrows the smoky, peppery, caraway-scented flavors of mhammsa-style tomato sauces.
- Prep
- 47 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 3 min
- Wait
- 20 min
- Total
- 2 hr 10 min
- Makes
- 1 (9×13-inch) bake, 6 generous squares
Steps
Before you start
- Harissa brands vary a lot in heat. Start with 2 tablespoons for a medium heat and taste the sauce before adding more.
- Buy tuna packed in olive oil if you can. It stays moist and tender in the oven. Drain it well.
- Shred the Gruyère yourself from a block. It melts better than pre-shredded cheese.
- Read the timing: the sauce must cool for 10 minutes before the eggs go in, or they can scramble.
Prep the ingredients
- Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish with the softened butter.
- Chop the onion, mince the garlic, drain and flake the tuna, rinse the capers, slice the olives, chop the parsley and shred the Gruyère.
- Set a large pot of water on the stove.
- Keep the eggs out on the counter.
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Ready when: Everything is chopped and within reach before you turn on the heat.
Tip: Squeeze the olives and capers dry on a paper towel so they don't thin the sauce.
Parboil the pasta
- Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat and add 1 tbsp kosher salt.
- Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package time, about 8 minutes.
- Drain well, return to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to prevent sticking.
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Ready when: Pasta is flexible but still has a firm, chalky-white center when bitten.
Tip: It finishes cooking in the oven. Fully cooked pasta turns mushy in the bake.
Soften the onion
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the fine salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
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Ready when: Onion is soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden; garlic smells fragrant but not browned.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown, lower the heat. Burnt garlic makes the sauce bitter.
Toast paste and spices
- Add the tomato paste, harissa, caraway and coriander.
- Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes so the paste coats the onions and darkens slightly.
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Ready when: The paste turns a deeper brick red and smells toasty and spicy.
Simmer the sauce
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Taste and add more salt or harissa if you like.
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Ready when: Sauce is thick enough that a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that closes slowly.
Tip: Keep it a little saltier than you'd eat on its own. The pasta and eggs will mellow it.
Cool sauce, preheat ovenOven 375°F / 190°C
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes, until warm rather than hot.
- Meanwhile, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
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Ready when: You can comfortably hold a finger in the sauce for a few seconds.
Tip: Skipping the cooling step leaves bits of scrambled egg in the finished bake.
Make the egg mixture
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs well with 1 cup (100 g) of the shredded Gruyère until combined.
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Ready when: No streaks of egg white remain.
Combine and assemble
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cooled sauce, tuna, capers, olives and parsley.
- Fold gently with a spatula so the tuna stays in chunks.
- Pour in the egg and cheese mixture and fold until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Scrape into the buttered dish, level the top, and scatter the remaining ½ cup (50 g) Gruyère over it.
- Cover tightly with foil.
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Ready when: Pasta is evenly red and no pockets of plain egg remain.
Tip: Tent the foil so it doesn't touch the cheese, or spray the underside lightly with oil.
Bake coveredOven 375°F / 190°C
- Bake on the middle rack at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes, covered, so the eggs set gently and the pasta finishes cooking.
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Ready when: The edges are bubbling and the center no longer looks wet when you lift a corner of the foil.
Uncover and brownOven 375°F / 190°C
- Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more at 375°F (190°C).
- If you'd like deeper color, broil for the last 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely.
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Ready when: The cheese is golden brown with darker spots, the edges are crisp, and the center reads 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Tip: The center should barely jiggle. If it sloshes, bake 5 more minutes.
Rest and serve
- Let the bake rest on a rack for 10 minutes so it firms up, then cut into 6 squares.
- Serve with lemon wedges, if using, to squeeze over each portion.
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Ready when: Squares hold their shape when lifted with a spatula.
Good to know
Tips
- Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes. It absorbs sauce and finishes cooking in the oven.
- Do not skip the 10-minute rest. It's what makes clean, sliceable squares.
- For a spicier bake, stir an extra teaspoon of harissa into the sauce, or serve more at the table.
- Capers and olives are salty, so taste the sauce before adding extra salt.
Make ahead
"Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat it gently, then cool for 10 minutes before mixing in the eggs. You can also assemble the whole bake, covered, up to 12 hours ahead in the fridge. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the covered baking time."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours after baking. Fridge: cover and keep up to 3 days. Freezer: wrap individual squares tightly and freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat squares covered with foil at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave a single portion for 1 to 2 minutes until hot in the center (165°F / 74°C)."
Substitutions
- Gruyère cheese → Emmental, Swiss or mozzarella. Emmental is the closest match. Mozzarella gives a milder, stretchier result.
- harissa paste → 1 tbsp tomato paste plus 1 tsp red pepper flakes and 1 tsp smoked paprika. Gives similar warmth and smokiness, though less depth.
- tuna in olive oil → Canned sardines or cooked flaked salmon. Use the same weight. Sardines will give a stronger flavor.
- penne or rigatoni → Macaroni or ziti. Any short tubular pasta works. Keep the same weight and parboil time.