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.
More Moroccan Recipes to Make on Repeat
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BEST Moroccan Chicken Recipe
Moroccan and Tunisian
Easy Moroccan Lamb Stew Recipe
Moroccan and Tunisian
Moroccan-Style Carrot Salad
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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Way too liquid and ever so bland, even after adding extra of all the spices. Very disappointed, won’t make it again.
I just make double strength broth and add half the quantity of liquid, let it reduce as well as adding 25-50% extra spices (though I do this for most recipes). I think it’s delicious and have it on regular rotation. Top it with roasted nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios for texture and depth.
Absolutely gorgeous flavours and so easy to make. I’ve made this several times and have also added chicken. Served with couscous and bread. It’s a favourite!
I’m a big BIG fan of the BEST moroccan chicken recipe, so I was expecting some punchier flavours in this dish. It was nice, but lacked any wow. I’ll have to tweak the flavour to add some depth, maybe by adding lamb meatballs.
Great flavors! I agree with the comment about too much liquid. Next time I will use 3cups or less of broth.
Way too much liquid in this recipe. Half the amount of broth would do.
How can I do this recipe in a tagine pot? It’s been years since I’ve used it.
Hi, Deb. We haven’t tried this recipe in an actual tagine pot, so unfortunately, we 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!
I made it in my tagine following the same steps, just changed the amount of broth and used less than 500ml and came out delicious.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Barbara! Very helpful!
Cooking this now. Do you know if it freezes well?
Many thanks, I look forward to tasting it when cooked! Smells lovely!
(Although accidentally added 1tsp of cumin too!)
Yes! The leftovers freeze very well. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe looks fabulous to try. But I have a son that is Autistic and he will not eat a stew/soup without some type of meat in it. Is there a meat you would recommend to add?
Hello! While we haven’t tested this exact recipe with meat, beef, lamb and chicken are all very traditional meats to include in tagine.
Great dish. Everyone loved it. Easy and tasty. Thank you