Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Make this fragrant Moroccan vegetable tagine for a quick and easy one-pot dinner. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this vibrant tagine is great served over couscous and can be easily doubled to feed a crowd.

Balancing sweet and savory flavours, this Moroccan vegetable tagine is a one-pot recipe that you can whip up in under an hour on a busy weeknight. It's a naturally vegan recipe that uses a mix of fresh vegetables and a couple of pantry staples for a tasty dinner.

It's a highly versatile recipe, as you can substitute many of the veggies to use seasonal ones, depending on what you have on hand.

What ingredients go into this Moroccan vegetable tagine?

What makes a Moroccan tagine unique is the mix of spices that brings it to life. I only use two spices in this tagine, ras el hanout and ground cinnamon, both of which I always have on my spice rack.

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that's super aromatic and typically contains cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and ginger. The spices might vary according to the mix you're using, but you should always expect a medley of flavours in every tablespoon of ras el hanout.

The basis of this tagine consists of onion, garlic, and carrots. I then use a mix of aubergines, chickpeas and sweet potatoes, plus dried apricots for the sweet element.

I like to fry the aubergine in a bit of olive oil in the same pan I'm then cooking the tagine in, but you can roast it in the oven if you like. If you decide to fry it, cut the aubergine into cubes, salt them generously, then let them sit for 10-15 minutes. You do this to prevent the aubergines from soaking up too much oil.

How do you make it?

• I like to fry the aubergine in a bit of olive oil in the same pan I'm cooking the tagine in, but you can roast it in the oven if you like. If you decide to fry it, cut the aubergine into cubes, salt them generously, then let them sit for 10-15 minutes. You do this to prevent the aubergines from soaking up too much oil.
• Once you have all your veggies chopped and the aubergines salted, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan and fry the aubergines for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and set them aside.
• In the same pan, add the rest of the olive oil and fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until it softens.
• Add the garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Next, add the carrot and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring from time to time.
• Stir in the ras el hanout and ground cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
• Add the chickpeas, sweet potato, chopped tomatoes, and apricots, then cover everything with the stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, then simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on until the sweet potato is fork-tender.
• Add the aubergine back to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Season to taste and serve over couscous.

What can you serve this vegan Moroccan tagine?

Tagines are typically served over couscous, but you can also serve it over rice if you want. I make couscous by soaking 200 g dry couscous in vegetable stock or hot water (just enough to cover it). When the liquid is all gone, season with salt and black pepper, add the juice of half a lemon and a handful of chopped parsley. Mix it all well, and you're done.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Give this ras el hanout tagine a bit of a kick by adding some red chilli flakes with the spices.
• You can use fresh tomatoes instead of chopped if you want. The same goes for chickpeas; you can substitute the canned ones with dry chickpeas that you soaked overnight and simmered separately until tender.
• You can substitute the sweet potato with butternut squash if you want.

If you liked this Moroccan vegetable tagine, you might also like some of my other easy vegan dinners:

Creamy Vegan Chickpea Soup with Garlic and Herbs

Vegan Spanish Chickpeas and Rice

Pearl Barley Soup with Leek and Potatoes

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