This one-pot vegetable tagine combines tender potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, and sweet apricots with warm Moroccan spices for a hearty vegan dinner in about 55 minutes.
A Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Made in a Dutch Oven
Tagine refers both to the slow-simmered North African stew and the clay or ceramic vessel traditionally used to cook it. The pot has a broad base and a distinctive cone-shaped lid that helps circulate moisture as the ingredients cook.
For this easy Moroccan vegetable tagine, I use my Dutch oven instead. It gives the vegetables plenty of room to cook with the onions, tomatoes, broth, and spices, and it makes this classic-style dish easy to prepare in any kitchen.
Potatoes, carrots, and sweet potato make the stew hearty, while chickpeas add substance. Dried apricots bring a subtle sweetness to balance the tomatoes and warm spices, and a squeeze of lemon at the end wakes everything up. The recipe serves six and is gluten-free as written.
Ingredients for Vegetable Tagine
This vegetable tagine begins with familiar vegetables and pantry ingredients, but the spice blend gives it its distinctly Moroccan character.
- Lemon juice and parsley: Add both at the end for a fresh, bright finish.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good olive oil to sauté the vegetables and finish each bowl. I like our Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil here for its rich, peppery flavor.
- Onion and garlic: These aromatics create the savory base for the stew.
- Carrots, russet potatoes, and sweet potato: The mix of vegetables gives this tagine its satisfying texture. As they simmer, they soak up the spices and tomato broth.
- Harissa spice blend: This recipe uses a dry harissa spice blend, not harissa paste. Made with chili, sumac, caraway, fennel, and other warm spices, Harissa Spice Blend is the main flavor-maker here. You can use ras el hanout instead.
- Coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric: A little ground coriander adds citrusy warmth, while cinnamon and turmeric round out the spice profile.
- Whole peeled tomatoes and vegetable broth: These create the savory cooking liquid for the vegetables. Use low-sodium broth so you can adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Dried apricots: Chopped apricots lend a gentle sweetness that plays well with the earthy spices and tangy tomatoes.
- Cooked chickpeas: Stirred in near the end, chickpeas make this vegetable tagine more substantial without changing its vegetable-forward character.
How to Make Vegetable Tagine
This is a straightforward one-pot recipe. Have the vegetables chopped before you begin, then follow the recipe card below for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Finish with lemon and parsley. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or harissa spice blend if you like. Serve hot with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Sauté the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing regularly.
- Add the vegetables and spices. Stir in the garlic, carrots, russet potatoes, and sweet potato. Season with salt, harissa spice blend, coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric, then toss well so the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Build the flavor. Cook the vegetables over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. This gives the spices time to bloom and brings out the sweetness of the vegetables before the broth goes in.
- Simmer until tender. Add the whole peeled tomatoes, chopped apricots, and broth. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the chickpeas. Add the cooked chickpeas and let them warm through over low heat for another 5 minutes.
Tips for This Easy Vegetable Tagine
- Use a Dutch oven or another heavy pot with a lid. You do not need a traditional tagine pot for this recipe; I use a Dutch oven here.
- Give the vegetables time to become tender. The potatoes, carrots, and sweet potato should all be easily pierced before you add the chickpeas.
- Save the lemon for the end. Adding it after simmering keeps its flavor bright and gives the warm, savory stew a welcome lift.
- Taste before serving. The recipe is designed for you to adjust the salt and harissa spice blend to your preference after the vegetables and chickpeas have finished cooking.
What to Serve with Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Serve this vegetable tagine in shallow bowls with couscous, rice, or warm bread to make the most of its flavorful broth. Homemade pita bread is especially good for scooping up the vegetables and chickpeas.
For a larger Moroccan-inspired spread, add a bright Moroccan-style carrot salad or a platter of five-ingredient yogurt flatbread. If you are planning a meal with both vegetarian and meat options, pair it with my Moroccan lamb stew or one-pot Moroccan chicken.
Can You Freeze Vegetable Tagine?
Yes. The Mediterranean Dish team has confirmed that leftover vegetable tagine freezes well.
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
- 8 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon Harissa spice blend, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ras el hanout
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, heaping
- 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth or broth of your choice
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Handful fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Sauté the onions. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add the onions, increase the heat to medium-high, and sauté for 5 minutes, tossing regularly.
- Cook the vegetables. Add the garlic, carrots, russet potatoes, and sweet potato. Season with salt, harissa spice blend, coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric, then toss to combine. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon.
- Add the tomatoes, apricots, and broth. Season with a small dash of salt.
- Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Keep the heat at medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Warm the chickpeas. Stir in the chickpeas and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or harissa spice blend to your liking. Transfer to serving bowls, drizzle generously with Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, and serve hot with bread, couscous, or rice.
Video
Notes
- This recipe was developed for a Dutch oven or another large, heavy pot with a lid. We have not tested it in a traditional tagine pot.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop for Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, Harissa Spice Blend, ras el hanout, ground coriander, turmeric, and more Mediterranean pantry essentials.
Nutrition
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One tablespoon of Harissa was brutally hot for me and for most attending my potluck. It would be great to note that harissa should be used carefully (or suggest adding the individual harissa spices separately, etc.) I realize that not all harissa is created equal but a word of caution or a modification of recipe would be a plus! Otherwise the recipe is the bomb!
Thanks for the feedback, Andy! I know some brands of harissa have more of a bite than others.
This is one of our favourite dinners the flavours are amazing and it’s even better the next day if you have leftovers. ❤️❤️
Can I used incooked chickpea and if so, can I cookthem in tomatoe and broth?
Thanks!
Hi, Mylen. Another reader has done this with success, so it sounds like it definitely worth a try!
Absolutely amazing recipe!! I had my doubts about it when I saw the amounts of garlic and lemon juice but I decided to follow it to the letter and I’m glad I did – it was so refreshingly different and taste-bud tantalizing, loved it! (Oh I did make one addition, I added the lemon’s zest as well which may or may not have made much difference). I can see myself making this dish on a very regular basis, and for dinner parties too. Thank you so much!
I did cook this in a clay tagine with the following tweaks: didn’t have Harissa but used a Moroccan spice mix called Ras el Hanout. Also added a can of black beans a few figs and fresh herbs. After browning the onion & garlic in a wok I added most of the ingredients and reduced it over medium heat before transfering it to the hot tagine. The chickpeas & black beans were canned but uncooked, so they were in for the whole cook. The oven was at 180 deg C for 15 minutes and then reduced it to 150 deg for another 45 mins. It was superb. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing, Peter! Super helpful!
My dinner guests loved this dish, and I will make it again.
Hello Suzey
We have had a tagine for 10 years but have never used it.
This seems like a perfect dish with which to Christen it.
Question and the amounts for he ingredients.
You indicate that this recipe will make 4 to 6 servings…the amounts shown I assume are for 1x. But when I select for the larger 2x and 4x recipe, the amounts do not change. Please clarify Thx
Hi, Phil. Unfortunately, increasing the recipe by doubling (2x) or quadrupling (4x) using that feature on our recipe cards only increases the ingredients in the ingredient list, not in the instructions. I’m so sorry about that. It’s a glitch we can’t seem to correct. Also, just a heads up… this particular tagine recipe was actually written for a dutch oven or similar pot (around 5 qts), as more people have those than tagines. You may need to make some modifications when using an actual tagine :).
Hi, would you be able to clarify how I can cook this recipe with an actual Clay Tagine in the oven please? Thanks
Hi, Apparna. I actually don’t own a tagine, so, unfortunately, I can’t give you accurate information on how to use one for this particular recipe. I’m sure it’s possible, though! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear any feedback!
OMG! Absolutely fabulous. I ‘ve recently returned from Marrakech and decided to make this for vegan friends. Followed exactly, except for adding extra harissa. Perfect for entertaining, because can prepare ahed and simply gently reheat adding the chickpeas, lemon and parsley (and some green peas for a pop of colour). Served with Saffron basmati rice and flatbread. Yum!
Easy to make as long as you keep first. Very tasty and nutritious. Great as a main or side dish.
Thanks, Sal!
This was so yummy! I didn’t feel the need to add rice or bread and just ate a large bowl which was very filling. This is definitely going into the dinner rotation!
Yay! Thanks, Stephanie!
Love this even my children (11 +6) couldn’t get enough
Yay!
Used a tagine dish and this recipe was far to large for it. It was okay flavor wise but portions are crazy next time I am cutting it in half
Hello! This recipe was actually written for a dutch oven or similar pot (around 5 qts), as more people have those than tagines.
Do you have cooking directions for those of us fortunate to own a tagine? My son brought me one back from Morocco, and I love using it. I tried using your recipe and following some basic tagine cooking directions I found elsewhere, but if you have a “pre-modification” version (perhaps with slightly smaller portions) I’d love to try that.
Hi, Steve! I actually don’t own a tagine, so, unfortunately, I can’t give you accurate information on how to use one for this particular recipe. I’m sure it’s possible, though! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear any feedback!
Oh my word. I have never had Tagine before and now I think I’m in love….seriously delicious flavor combinations. Thank you, Suzy for sharing. Your creativity keeps me coming back for more!
Thank you for this recipe. I received a lovely tagine as a holiday gift, and have finally gotten brave enough to use it. I wanted the chickpeas to cook with the vegetables and spices, so i added soaked, not cooked, chickpeas. Everything barely fit innthe pan, and cooked together nicely. I was unsure about adding lemon at the end, but it worked so well. This was a Delicious dinner.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!