If you’re searching for an authentic but relatively simple one-pot Moroccan chickpea and vegetable tagine dish, then search no further. Packed with vegetables, dates, chickpeas, and aromatic spices, this is a Mediterranean delight. Packed with nutrients, this recipe is not only healthy but also gut-friendly and a one-pot dish. It certainly ticks all my dinnertime boxes.
Tagine
Historically, tagine cooking has deep roots in North African cuisine, particularly in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. The tagine itself refers to both the earthenware pot and the slow-cooked stew within it. The tagine’s conical lid played a crucial role in its cooking method—trapping steam, allowing moisture to drip back into the dish, keeping ingredients tender and flavorful while using minimal water.
Today, in most Western kitchens, tagines are made in slow-cookers and casserole pots on the hob or in the oven. Whilst the methods may have changed the flavour is still there. With staple ingredients such as protein, vegetables, spices, legumes (such as chickpeas), olives, nuts and dried fruits, a tagine of any flavour combination is a nutritious one-pot dish.
What to serve with your tagine
A Moroccan chicken and vegetable tagine often forms part of a bigger family and friends feast. It is often paired with sides that complement its rich, aromatic flavours. Here are some popular accompaniments:
- Flatbreads
- Carrot salad
- Couscous
- Cucumber raita
- Houmous
- Baba Ganoush
- Thick yoghurt
Chickpeas – protein packed bullets
Chickpeas are nutritional champions that deserve a place in every kitchen. These humble legumes are packed with plant-based protein, making them excellent for vegetarians and anyone looking to reduce meat consumption. Rich in fiber, they support digestive health and help maintain stable blood sugar levels, keeping you satisfied longer.
Beyond protein and fiber, chickpeas provide essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and folate, plus they’re naturally low in fat and calories. Their versatility is unmatched—from creamy hummus to crispy roasted snacks, hearty curries to fresh salads. They’re also a budget-friendly, cupboard stable, and environmentally sustainable, requiring less water and resources than animal proteins.
Other chickpea recipes
Here you can find additional recipes from Eat Your Greens containing healthy chickpeas:
This dish is great for using whatever vegetables you have to hand. In addition to those used above, examples you could add would be celeriac, parsnip, baby potatoes, or turnip. Just ensure the root veg are chopped slightly small than the vegetables as they will take longer to cook
You could certainly add some chicken to this tagine. Before you add the vegetables in step one, add some cubed chicken breast or thighs. Then continue the recipe steps as normal.
If you like your dishes on the more spicy side then feel free to double the amount of harissa paste.
Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Tagine
Equipment
- 1 Medium Size Casserole with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions preferably red, cut into wedges
- 2 carrots cut into 1cm rounds
- 1 aubergine cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 red pepper
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 courgette
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp rose harissa or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 400 g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 100 g pitted green olives whole
- 100 g dried dates roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large casserole, which has a lid, over a medium high heat. Roughly chop the vegetables into 2cm chunks and place into the casserole and stir to coat in the oil. Continue stirring frequently for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to colour and soften.
- Add all the spices to the casserole, season well, and mix well to coat the vegetables. Cook for another 2 minutes stirring. Do not let the spices burn, turn down the heat and add a splash of water if this starts to happen.
- Add the harissa paste, the drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, and the can of tomatoes rinsed out with a can and a half of water.
- Next add in the green olives, the chopped dates, and the sliced lemon and season. Give everything a good stir to combine all the flavours, put the lid on, and simmer over a low to medium heat for 30 minutes. Stirring every 5 minutes of so. You want the vegetables to be cooked through. A good test is to put a knife in the carrot, you want a little resistance to know that it's cooked, but you don't want it falling apart.
- Remove the casserole from the heat, scatter with chopped parsley, and serve the tagine alongside some freshly steamed couscous or rice.
Notes
- Instead of a can of chickpeas you can use the equivalent of 200-250g of cooked dried chickpeas following this no soak dried chickpea recipe
- This dish is great for using whatever vegetables you have to hand. In addition to those used above, you could add celeriac, parsnip, baby potatoes, or turnip. Just ensure the root veg are chopped slightly small than the vegetables as they will take longer to cook.
- If you like your dishes on the more spicy side then feel free to double the amount of harissa paste.
- You could always have some yoghurt (plant-based if required) on the side to have with the dish.
- Flatbreads could be an alternative to serving the tagine with couscous or rice.
Loved this as a really quick one to whip up, super tasty and a great one to batch up for the freezer!