Butternut Squash Tagine with Dried Apricots
Butternut squash tagine; a simple Moroccan-influenced vegetarian dish that also features onions, apricots, and almonds in a harissa sauce.
Cooking and preparing this recipe takes around an hour, but once the prep is done, all you do is pile stuff in the pot, set the heat and walk away!
Vegetarian Moroccan-Influenced Squash Tagine
I love me a good Moroccan or Tunisian-influenced tagine, and this butternut squash recipe joins a host of them already on my site.
I have meaty options like my duck leg tagine, chicken tagine and lamb tagine and veggie options like my sweet potato tagine, chickpea tagine and a mixed vegetable tagine. I've also got a wonderful fish tagine with preserved lemons.
This recipe really is one for the people who like a little sweetness in their main courses.
We have the natural earthy sweetness of butternut squash, onions and apricots.
The savoury comes from one of my favourite spice pastes, harissa and wonderfully nutty almonds.
This dish is gloriously simple, no fine dice here, just some rough chopping and peeling.
Then you chuck stuff in a pot, a lid goes on, and you walk away for 40 minutes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a tagine?
No, you can use a pan with a tight-fitting lid, you want something of a similar size, around 20-22cm (for two people) and not too deep.
If you have a perfect pan but no lid, you can improvise with some tin foil.
Can I make this vegan?
The only thing in this dish that isn't vegan is honey, and that is debatable in some circles.
If I wanted to make this vegan and didn't eat honey, then I would be likely to choose agave syrup. Mainly because it is the common honey sub that I find most palatable, but you could use anything you like.
What can I do with leftover squash?
Cooking butternut squash for two often leads to a fair amount of leftovers. Once cut, butternut squash will last for around a week in the fridge in an air-tight container.
Here are a few recipes for you to inspire you to use up any leftovers.
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta.
- Burmese Pumpkin Curry.
- Butternut Squash Chilli.
- Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto.
What harissa paste should I use?
I usually use a rose harissa paste made by Belazu, which is commonly available in most UK supermarkets.
Le Phare du Cap Bon seems to be the most commonly available harissa paste on my travels around Europe. I have made this recipe with it, and it tastes good, although it is not rose harissa.
Do I have to add rose water?
No, it is both a divisive and costly ingredient. I love it, and it does need to be used sensitively, or your dinner will taste like a cross between a perfume shop and Turkish delight.
As a result, you should feel free to omit it if you wish.
Serving Suggestions
I ordinarily serve butternut squash tagine as a vegetarian main course with a simple side.
Usually, I'd add some simply cooked bulgur wheat or buttered couscous and throw on a generous handful of coriander or parsley.
Bread is particularly good with this dish, and there is a glorious Moroccan flatbread called Moroccan Msemen flatbread that works particularly well.
This also rocks as a vegetable side dish, particularly with fattier cuts of meat or oily fish.
I've served with everything from my harissa salmon and harissa lamb chops to my za'atar chicken legs.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 20-22cm or 8-9″ tagine or a similarly sized skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Mine is made by Staub.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Butternut Squash Tagine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 350 g Butternut Squash 2-2½ Cups (prepared volume)
- 50 g Blanched Almonds ⅓-½ Cup
- 50 g Dried Apricots 6-7
- 125 ml Vegetable Stock ½ Cup
- 1 tablespoon Rose Harissa Paste
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Rosewater
- 1 teaspoon Honey 7g
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼-½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Zaatar
- Coriander (to garnish)
Instructions
- Mix together the vegetable stock, harissa paste, rosewater, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and salt, then set aside.
- Top and tail the onion, cut it in half, peel it, then cut each half into 4 wedges, and separate them into individual petals.
- Peel and cut the butternut squash into a 25mm or 1" dice.
- Cut the dried apricots into strips 5-6mm (¼") thick.
- Place the onions in a single layer on the base of a small (20-22cm or 8-9") tagine.
- Add the diced butternut squash and sprinkle over the almonds and dried apricots.
- Pour over the "sauce" that we made earlier then sprinkle over the za'atar.
- Place the lid on the tagine pot, turn the heat to low-medium and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked.
Ah, yes!!! Love and passion for food. It should be a creative process although when it comes to cakes and such I'm more of a traditionalist -- I don't make a lot of sweets. But your butternut squash tagine really interests me. I don't usually add fruit to vegetables unless it's a salad but the flavors here call me. I love the addition of the almonds. I bet it gives the tagine a lovely crunch. Very creative.
Waw, this recipe is heaven on Earth. I definitely must make this deliciousness. I love the addition of almonds. That makes it sooo extra yummy. Divine! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe Brian ??
I love all the flavours in this recipe. I'd have to make my own harissa as it's hard to find in Italy, but I'd love to try this tagine! I even have tagine dishes from Morocco to serve it in!
I love fruit in savoury dishes, that sour sweet thing really is part of my cooking mojo!
Waw, this recipe is heaven on Earth. I definitely must make this deliciousness. I love the addition of almonds. That makes it sooo extra yummy. Divine! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe Brian ??
Thanks Ramona.
I love all the flavours in this recipe. I'd have to make my own harissa as it's hard to find in Italy, but I'd love to try this tagine! I even have tagine dishes from Morocco to serve it in!
I make harissa myself from store cupboard ingredients when I run out so it is perfectly possible!
Thank you 🙂 Fortunately Dried Apricots are always available here but have to make my own Harissa paste, I am working on a recipe section at the moment that features a whole host of store cupboard ideas that do not warrant a post on their own of which Harissa will be right up there 🙂
This looks like a great substitute for sweet potatoes since I'm not a fan of those! I bet the sweet and salty combo is heaven
I'm still trying to find a way to cook with sweet potatoes, I'm not 100% convinced just yet but this works so well with the North African flavours 🙂
Thanks Mel, we all need quick and easy dishes every now and again 😉
Thanks Dini, I love #saucysaturdays such a great variety of stuff, I do mean to try and post more often but Suaturday afternoons seem to be an odd time for me, no idea why I seem to have made them the busiest time of my week?
This is lovely! I have a bumper crop of butternut squash this year, and this will be a wonderful way to use some of them. This will also be great as part of a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal option for the non-meat eaters in my house. I wouldn't have thought to pair apricots with the squash -- nice!
I love adding a different kind of sweetness to squash I think it works really well, honoured to think it would work on a thanksgiving spread, I hope it is enjoyed 🙂
Thanks Steph, it really does work so well 🙂
Thanks Sherri, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do... Nuts in savoury dishes seem to be a bit of an obsession for me at the moment 🙂
The flavors you have in this dish look like they would go together perfectly. Can't wait to give it a try!
Thanks Jenb, please let me know how you get on we love this dish, really simple but a proper winter warmer.
Wow, I know I will love this! I could live on butternut although in Australia everyone calls it pumpkin. Being the American at heart, I always end up saying 'butternut squash oh I mean pumpkin."
I have exactly the same dilemma and often use them interchangeably now, in fact I have a recipe coming up where I have called it pumpkin... Oh the problems of global food names 😉
This looks delicious Brian, I've never tried Harissa paste with squash - Sound like a great combination.
Cheers Molly, I love Harissa paste with all sorts of stuff but I find it does go really well with squashes and pumpkin.
I love butternut squash anything.... Your recipe looks delicious!
Thank you Ludmilla, I'm with you on the squash thing 😀
This sounds divine! I love butternut squash and then you went and added apricots and harissa....yummy!
Thanks Jenn 🙂
Thanks Claire, I'm with you on the fruit and savoury thing, I love it!
What a lovely and simple but different way to use a butternut. I wouldn't have thought to add almonds but I reckon they are nice and nubbly next to that soft spiced squash 🙂
Thanks Jo, it is a glorious dish, I have a nutty thing going on at the moment, I love them!