Olive and Dukkah Pasta: A Fusion Vegan Recipe

Are you looking for tasty dukkah recipes? Why not try this delicious olive and dukkah pasta recipe? It's an unusual Egyptian Italian fusion recipe that's perfect for vegetarians and vegans too!

A few years ago I attended a cooking class about cooking with spices. One of the things we made was pitta breads which we ate by dipping in oil and then dipping the oil covered pieces of bread into little bowls of dukkah which then stuck to the pitta bread. It was the first time I had heard of and tasted dukkah and I loved it. It's nutty, spicy and incredibly moreish!

After that class I started to use dukkah at home and try out different dukkah recipes. I discovered it was delicious sprinkled onto all kinds of things including pizza, bread, salads and soups. And of course pasta. Adding a spoonful of dukkah to the top of a pasta dish is a little like those pasta dishes that are topped with breadcrumbs, just with more of spicy flavour!

What is dukkah?

Dukkah is a blend of roasted nuts and seeds such as sesame seeds and hazelnuts along with whole spices such as cumin and coriander. These are then ground or pounded together to make a nutty spicy seasoning.

It really does make a delicious topping for this tomato pasta recipe!

What ingredients do you need for dukkah pasta?

To make this simple vegan dukkah pasta recipe you'll need:

• Pasta - Any kind of pasta will do. I love to use spaghetti but it really doesn't matter.
• Olive oil - You can use a different cooking oil but I always prefer to use olive oil when cooking pasta recipes. It just feels right for these Mediterranean flavours!
• Green pepper - If you don't have a green pepper a red, yellow or orange pepper can also be used.
• Baby plum tomatoes - Or cherry tomatoes. Or wedges of lager tomatoes.
• Garlic - I really like to use fresh garlic for this recipe and not a paste as the garlic is fried in slices in the oil and really does add lots of flavour.
• Olives - I usually use a mixture of green and black olives but you can use just one colour.
• Tomato puree
• Dukkah - I use a bought dukkah spice blend but you can make your own if you want to. This recipe from BBC Good Food looks good.

How do you make dukkah pasta?

This easy dukkah pasta is really simple to make. You can make the sauce in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

While the pasta is cooking, heat some oil in a large wok or frying pan. Add the slices of green pepper and cook until slightly blistered. Then add the garlic.

Stir fry the garlic for a moment and then add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Add a little water from the pasta pan and stir to make a sauce. Stir in the olives and about two thirds of the dukkh.

Drain the pasta and stir into the pan with the sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the remaining dukkah.

Can you adapt the recipe?

There are lots of ways you could adapt this vegan fusion pasta to suit the ingredients you have at home. You could use different vegetables. For example peas would be great in this. Baby sweetcorn would be lovely and so would aubergines or courgettes.

If you want to make this into a hotter more fiery pasta recipe then you could add one or two chopped chilli peppers along with the garlic.

Where can you get dukkah?

When I first made this recipe it was sometimes hard to find dukkah. Luckily, it has become much more widely available over the last few years and it's now possible to find dukkah in most of the big supermarkets. I even found some in my small local Tescos!

This means it's so much easier now to make all kinds of dukkah recipes!

Can you top this pasta with cheese?

The dukkah with the pasta is an unusual combination but it's really tasty. Normally I can't resist topping my pasta with lots of cheese but this recipe needs no cheese. It wouldn't go with the dukkah which makes this pasta recipe a much lighter and healthier pasta dish too.

The only kind of cheese that I think would taste great on it would be some crumbled feta. I certainly didn't miss the lack of cheese. This was a totally delicious fusion pasta dish.

Storing the leftovers

If you have any leftover dukkah pasta just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for about 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or in a covered container in the oven.

You can even eat it cold as a pasta salad. That means the leftovers can be a great packed lunch option too.

More pasta recipes

I love pasta as it makes such an easy and tasty midweek meal. Why not try one of my other vegan pasta recipes?

• Avocado spaghetti with chilli and lemon
• Harissa pasta with roasted vegetables
• Spicy tomato pasta

Recipe

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