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 a 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 a 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 skillet 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 are all good to chuck into this recipe. Cut the harder vegetables like sweet potato, carrot and parsnip smaller than veggies that take less time to cook.
What is sumac?
It is the very of a small herbaceous bush and it has a wonderful sour flavour. It is often used as both an ingredient and 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 M’smen 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 roast cauliflower steak with it and keep it a veggie dish!
Equipment Used
I only recommend specifically branded pieces of kit if I think it will genuinely help. 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, it works on everything from a gas stovetop through to induction. It’s the perfect size for two people.
- Stovetop.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Sharp kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Small mixing bowl.

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Recipe
This spicy Moroccan influenced vegetable tagine is the perfect midweek veggie dinner, chuck it in the tagine and knock up some couscous and you have a real low-maintenance meal!
Ingredients
- 150g (1 Cup) Butternut Squash
- 150g (1 Cup) Onion
- 1 Small Red Pepper
- 125g (1 Cup) Courgette or Zucchini
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 50 g (¼ Cup) Dried Apricots
- 125ml (½ Cup) Vegetable Stock
- ¾ Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- 1 Tsp Dried Mint
- ½ Tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ Tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 Tbsp Rose Harissa Paste
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ½-1 Tsp Sumac
- Handful of Freshly Chopped 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.
- 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 fresh parsley before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1231mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 9gSugar: 23gProtein: 6g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.