Moroccan Chickpea-Potato Tagine

This hearty Moroccan tagine is delicious served over couscous or any other hot cooked whole grains you enjoy. Potatoes and chickpeas soak up the fragrant flavors of fresh ginger and ras el hanout (look for the spice blend at Middle Eastern markets or make your own using our easy Ras el Hanout recipe) to create a savory plant-based stew that warms you up from the inside out.  Chopped dried apricots add pockets of sweetness throughout the dish while sliced lemon rind brings bright acidity to the hearty ingredients. Tagines are traditionally slow-cooked in an earthenware vessel of the same name, but a large, heavy-duty sauté pan with a lid will do the trick for this recipe.

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Ingredients

  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (3 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons ras el hanout spice blend
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon rind
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 15-oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1½ lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch pieces (4 cups)

Instructions

  • In a 10-inch sauté pan or large deep skillet combine onion, garlic, ginger, and ¼ cup water. Cook over medium 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, ras el hanout, and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in the next four ingredients (through pepper). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
  • Stir in chickpeas. Lay potatoes over top in a single layer. Cover and cook over medium low 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender but not mushy. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro.
  • Serve tagine over couscous or other hot cooked whole grains. When spooning tagine out of pan, carefully scoop the vegetables without stirring them. Spoon sauce from the bottom of the pan over vegetables.

Comments (9)

(5 from 1 vote)

Recipe Rating

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Jessica G

Excellent. I had a few purple sweet potatoes to use up that I threw in, in place the Yukon Gold potato. Also added zucchini and yellow squash for some extra veggies. Delicious! Thank you!

G

First time making this recipe; directions are super simple, but I’d caution to prep everything beforehand (normal practice, right?) otherwise you’ll get behind. The result is a deliciously savory dish, with warm spices in the background and good bite. It pairs well with plain couscous and a warm pita. One question: why do the instruction say “turn off heat”, before adding chickpeas and potatoes? Just curious! This is a great dish, thanks for the recipe!

Aziel

This dish was so delicious! My husband loved it and has asked me to add it to our regular meals. I really enjoyed it. I think is best eaten on a cold day. So, so good. I do have to say that if you're not used to eating with a lot of spices, it might not be your jam. I was hesitant about the sweetness in the recipe, but the warmth of the spices, really make this dish. Some people mentioned something about cooking with oil, but I prepared it without oil in my ceramic pots, and it did not burn at all, I even heated it up again for a second meal in the same pot. My almost 3 year old enjoyed it, my 11 month old not so much, but we're gonna try it again today. Thank you so much for this recipe. We are considering it as our main thanksgiving dish.

Carrie

Delicious. I added a bit of brown sugar for my kids palette. I cooked the potatoes separate so they were the side dish. A pinch of green onions on top. A few crushed toasted cashews would be nice as a garnish too.

Amanda Denny

Ooh, I have to say I completely disagree with the other review here! I made this last night, and the ras el hanout made the whole house smell like the holidays! This tagine was sooo flavorful and tasted so delicious. Maybe add a bit more water or broth while cooking to yield more juice for serving at the end?

MrsJennyK

I was so hopeful about this recipe. I don't know if I did something wrong, but this was not a hit with anyone in the family. There was not enough liquid (which I assume was to be provided by the tomatoes?) to make it a stew at all. In fact, during the potato simmer time, all the liquid evaporated and my clue was that I started to smell it burning. I made my own ras el hanout from the recipe linked here. It turned out to be way too spicy for everyone but me. I'd like to try again, but I'm not sure how to fix it.

Wanda

I haven’t tried it yet but was thinking about it and then I read your post, 1/4 cup water does seem like way too little

Tina

Thank you for this honest review and input about this recipe. I’ve never been one to follow a recipe but I’ve been trying lately as I am not used to cooking without oil. Honest reviews keep me from trying a poor recipe and then thinking oil free isn’t good.

Zuri

Mine was definitely not a stew consistency, but it wasn't dry either. It was more like a chunky sauce, I think. I'm sorry it didn't turn out well for you. My family really enjoyed it.

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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