Pasta in a spicy tomato and harissa sauce with lamb, caraway, and garlic, in the Tunisian style.
We cook Tunisian macarona the way it is made in homes: meat cooked slowly in a tomato and harissa sauce until it softens and the sauce reddens and darkens, then we coat the boiled pasta with it.
Its secret lies in the harissa and caraway, which give it its spicy Tunisian identity, and whoever likes may sprinkle a little grated cheese over it before serving.
Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat, and sauté the lamb pieces with the onion until the meat changes color and the onion softens.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, and harissa and stir for two minutes until the paste becomes fragrant and darkens a little, then season with the caraway, red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Cover the meat with hot water and add the bay leaf and the hot green pepper, then let it cook over low heat for about half an hour until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens and turns red.
Boil the pasta in salted water until it softens while keeping a firm touch, then drain it and reserve a little of the cooking water.
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss it until well coated, sprinkle in a little of the cooking water if needed, and serve it hot with the meat pieces on top.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Tunisian Pasta with Lamb and Harissa (Macarona Tounsia), and how to fix them:
Sauté the tomato paste in the oil longer before adding the water and cook the sauce longer, for cooking breaks the acidity of the paste and deepens its flavor.
Boil it until it stays slightly firm and drain it immediately, and mix it with the sauce just before serving rather than long beforehand.
Reduce the harissa and red pepper and leave out the hot green pepper, for the heat level is adjusted to taste without losing the tomato flavor.
Keep the sauce and meat separate from the pasta if possible for up to three days, and combine them when reheating so the pasta does not turn mushy.
Freeze the meat sauce alone for up to a month, and boil fresh pasta on the day of serving for the best texture.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| lamb | chicken or beef | same weight, 400 g | chicken is a lighter, faster-cooking version and is also common in Tunisian macarona |
| regular pasta | whole-wheat pasta | same weight, 350 g | it raises the fiber and softens the glycemic load of the dish |
| harissa | mild red pepper paste | same amount | it preserves the color and flavor of the sauce for anyone who wants a non-spicy dish |
| Ingredient | Half amount | Amount (base) | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta | 175 g | 350 g | 700 g |
| Lamb | 200 g | 400 g | 800 g |
| Tomato paste | 30 g | 60 g | 120 g |
| Harissa | 7 g | 15 g | 30 g |
| Olive oil | 15 ml | 30 ml | 60 ml |
| Salt | 2 g | 4 g | 8 g |
Cook the sauce over low heat long enough for it to redden and lose the acidity of the tomato paste, and boil the pasta so it stays slightly firm, so it does not soak up more sauce than needed and turn mushy.
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