Moroccan-influenced vegetable tagine, a dish that gets a hint of spice from harissa paste; a fab dish to use up leftover veg in the pantry.
This easy tagine is both vegan and vegetarian, and whilst it takes around 50 minutes to make, only 10 minutes of that time is spent in the kitchen!
Vegetarian Mixed Vegetable Tagine
Regular readers will know that I am far from being a vegetarian! But that does not mean I turn my nose up at vegetarian food or vegan food.
This wonderful vegan Moroccan vegetable tagine is simply delicious, it is sweet, earthy, has a hint of sourness and a healthy punch of chilli.
It is loosely based on my Butternut Squash Tagine and Sweet Potato Tagine recipes, but this recipe is born out of the hate of waste.
So it is a mish-mash of vegetables that I typically have leftover one day.
This is a very similar approach to the one that I take to my vegetable karahi curry, whatever veggies I have get a look in!
I always have harissa paste and dried apricots in the cupboard, so this recipe is a bit of frugal freebie!
It also features a wonderfully easy way of cooking: chop some vegetables, pile them in the tagine, and pour over some flavoured stock and olive oil.
Now for the tricky bit, add a lid, turn on the heat and walk away, seriously, that is how easy it is!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a tagine?
No, this can be cooked in a small frying pan with a lid; however, you should make sure that it is around 20-23cm (8-9") in diameter.
Can I scale this up?
Yes, but you will need a larger tagine pot, 26-28cm will be big enough to make this for 4-6 people. It will not need cooking for much longer, just add 5-10 minutes.
Can I use other vegetables?
Yes absolutely. This is a recipe that I developed to use up whatever veggies are left lying around.
Everything from sweet potato, parsnip and carrots through to cauliflower and broccoli is all good to chuck into this recipe. Cut the harder vegetables like sweet potato, carrot and parsnip into smaller pieces than the veggies that take less time to cook.
What is sumac?
It is the dried "fruit" of a small herbaceous bush, and it has a wonderful sour flavour. It is often used as both an ingredient and a seasoning in North African and Persian food.
I use it in dishes like my harissa pork chops and harissa salmon fillets, as well as many of my tagine recipes.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan vegetable tagine is packed with flavour, and as a result, it works really well with a neutral side dish.
Here it is served with buttered couscous, but it would be just as good with some simply cooked bulgur wheat.
If you wanted a bit of bread, then this Moroccan Msemen flatbread would be ideal!
This recipe also makes for a good vegetable side dish. I've served it in the past with my roast zaatar chicken legs and harissa chicken thighs.
You could even stick a roasted cauliflower steak with it and keep it a veggie dish!
Equipment Used
I only recommend specifically branded pieces of kit if I think they will genuinely help. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below the recipe.
- 20-23cm (8-9") Tagine, I use a Staub 20cm pot, which works on everything from a gas stovetop through to induction. It's the perfect size for two people.
- Hob/stovetop.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Small mixing bowl.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g Butternut Squash 1 Cup
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 1 Red Pepper
- 125 g Courgette 1 Cup
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 50 g Dried Apricots ¼ Cup
- 125 ml Vegetable Stock ½ Cup
- ¾ teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Mint
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 tablespoon Rose Harissa Paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½-1 teaspoon Sumac
- 1 Handful Parsley
Instructions
- Peel the butternut squash and cut into a 1.5cm (~½") dice.
- Peel, top and tail the onion and then cut into 8 wedges.
- Cut the red pepper into a 5-7mm (~¼") dice.
- Cut the courgette into 2 cm (~¾") dice.
- Peel and slice the garlic cloves as finely as you can.
- Cut the Dried Apricots in half.
- Add the onions to the base of a 20-22cm (~8-9") tagine base, followed by the onion, then garlic, courgette, butternut squash and apricots. Arrange the veggies in a single layer and season with salt.
- Mix the vegetable stock with the harissa paste, ground cumin, ground coriander and dried mint, then pour it over the vegetables.
- Pour over the olive oil and add the tagine lid, turn the heat to low-medium and cook for 40-45 minutes.
- Garnish with sumac and freshly chopped parsley before serving.