Smoked Paprika Pasta with Stir-Fry Harissa Collard Greens

In the creative spirit of Kuumba, here’s a recipe demonstrating good comfort food doesn’t always take hours of preparation and cooking. This Smoked Paprika Pasta with Stir-Fry Harissa Collard Greens is a fresh food fast dish. It’s a blend of North African spices, savory thick pasta and collard greens simply stir-fried until bright green. Often, collard greens are pre-cut into slender lengths and sealed in a plastic bag to use as needed throughout a busy week. In this recipe, the pasta is homemade and frozen ahead of time. However, dried fettuccine or pappardelle pasta is a timesaving substitute. The process from prepping to serving this creative and fast dish is less than 15 minutes. Instead of giving in to the temptation of fast food restaurants that don’t benefit the health of our community, try this fresh food fast recipe for a savory satisfaction.

Ingredients
2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 small onion; thinly sliced
2 to 3 large garlic cloves; sliced paper thin
1/2 to 1 tsp. harissa spice blend (store brought or homemade)
(Optional, not pictured) 1-14 oz canned chickpeas; drained and rinsed
3 to 4 cups of thinly sliced collard greens (see photo illustration)
10 oz. Smoked paprika pasta; cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; rinsed with cold water; drain, and tossed with olive oil (recipe for making and cooking fresh pasta is here or use white or wheat fettuccine pasta cooked al dente according to the manufacturer’s directions)
Sea salt and fresh black pepper; to taste
The juice of one lemon
Optional Garnish: Toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds

Directions
1. Over medium-high temperatures, heat olive oil and butter in a skillet. Add the onions and quickly cook until translucent. Add the garlic slices and Harissa spice. Stir for 30 seconds or less, but don’t burn the garlic. Add the chickpeas (Optional).

2. Quickly add the collard greens. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir-fry until slightly wilted for about two to three minutes.

3. Add the cooked pasta. Toss lightly together. If the skillet is too dry, add a little pasta water. Turn off heat. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the skillet. Garnish individual servings with toast pine nuts or sliced almonds.

4. Enjoy!

Recipe originally appeared here.