Muhammara Pasta
Muhammara pasta is one of those recipes we keep coming back to because it feels a bit special but takes almost no effort. The sauce is rich, smoky, and just the right amount of spicy, with toasted walnuts and roasted red peppers doing all the heavy lifting on flavour. It's got this gorgeous deep colour and a nutty, slightly sweet heat that coats every strand of pasta beautifully. We've made this on weeknights when we needed something quick but didn't want to compromise, and it never lets us down. Honestly, once you've tried muhammara as a pasta sauce you'll wonder where it's been all your life.
Before You Start
- Food processor
- Colander
- Large pot
- Dry frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 100g walnuts
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 350g roasted red pepper (from a jar)
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 ½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 400g pasta
- 10g parsley
Method
Toast the nuts and seeds
- Tip the walnuts into a dry frying pan and toast over high heat for 5 minutes until toasty and fragrant
- Add the cumin seeds to the pan for the final 2 minutes
- Leave to cool out of the pan
Cook the pasta
- Tip the pasta into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions (approx 8-10 minutes)
- Drain the pasta when cooked and tip it back into the pan, reserving a mug of pasta water when draining
Make the muhammara
- Tip the peppers into a colander, rinse under cold water and pat dry with a clean kitchen cloth
- Add the peppers, breadcrumbs, cayenne, paprika, garlic, toasted walnuts and cumin and blitz into a textured puree
- Add the olive oil, pomegranate molasses and the juice of the lemon and pulse until well mixed
- Taste the muhammara and and season with salt and pepper
Finish and serve
- Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop
- Add as much reserved pasta water as needed to the muhammara to get a smooth coating consistency for the pasta
- Pour the muhammara over the pasta in the pan and stir to combine
- Transfer the muhammara pasta into bowls, garnish with parsley and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Save that pasta water: We know everyone says this but trust us on this one, a good splash of starchy pasta water is what makes the sauce cling perfectly instead of sliding off. Don't skip it.
- Spice it your way: Muhammara is traditionally quite punchy. If you want more heat, add a pinch of extra chilli flakes to the sauce. If you're cooking for people who prefer it milder, just dial it back a touch and it's still brilliant.
- Toast in batches if needed: If your pan is small, toast the walnuts first, then the cumin separately. Crowding the pan means things steam instead of toast and you lose that lovely colour and crunch.
Why This Works
The trick here is toasting the walnuts and cumin seeds properly before they go into the sauce. That extra five minutes in a dry pan unlocks a deeper, nuttier flavour that you just can't get any other way. The cumin brings this warm, earthy backbone that makes the whole thing taste way more complex than the ingredient list suggests.