Dill and harissa make a good couple one’s cool, the other’s hot. But this is a proper pantry pasta, so use whatever herb you can find in your fridge. I don’t put Parm on this, but you totally can just add a little less salt when you’re making the sauce.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons harissa paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup (packed) chopped fresh dill or other tender herb, such as flat-leaf parsley or mint, plus more for garnish
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
How to Make It
- Bring a large pot of very salty water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until just shy of al dente (you’ll finish cooking the pasta in a skillet). Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, 5 to 6 minutes. (Resist any temptation to raise the heat, or the butter might burn.) Turn off the heat and stir in the harissa and beans.
- Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti. Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet, along with the herbs, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, and cook over medium heat, stirring the spaghetti almost constantly, until a silky sauce coats the noodles. If the skillet ever looks dry, add more of the reserved pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Taste the spaghetti and add more salt if needed (depending on how salty your pasta water was, you could need up to a teaspoon more). Serve the pasta in shallow bowls topped with more herbs and, if you’re using it, the Parm.
