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Hlalem (Pasta with Beans)

Hlalem (Pasta with Beans) is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic dish of mixed beans in a tomato-based sauce with pasta and lamb-based Merguez sausages flavoured with harissa. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Tunisian version of: Pasta with Beans (Hlalem).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

130 minutes

Total Time:

150 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Chilli RecipesLamb RecipesVegetable RecipesBean RecipesTunisia Recipes


Ingredients:

250g pasta (conchiglie or a similar shaped pasta is good)
1 large onion, chopped
75g green lentils, washed and picked over
100g dried chickpeas, soaked over night in plenty of water
75g dried broad (fava) beans, soaked over night
1 tbsp harissa (or to taste)
3 tomatoes, grated
1 tbsp tomato purée
salt, to taste
3 tbsp oil
1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
4 Merguez sausages, sliced

Method:

Heat a little oil in a pan and use to fry the onion for 5 minutes. Stir in the harissa and cook for 1 minute before adding the tomato paste and the grated tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes release their liquid and the mixture begins to thicken. Add the beans and enough water to cover. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for about 90 minutes, or until all the bans are tender (add more water as needed).

When the beans are cooked through add the pasta, Merguez sausages and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, uncovered then add the green bell pepper. Cook for a further 10 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated then serve in bowls.