This Moroccan chickpea tagine with apricots and warming spices is a healthy family dinner that can be made ahead and quickly reheated later in the week, making it a great vegetarian meal prep recipe.
Packed with spices, and a hint of sweetness from dried apricots and honey, this vegetarian tagine is a recipe you’ll want to make time and time again.
This gluten free dinner is cooked in one pot – less washing up is always good in my book! It can be made ahead, and with couscous taking so little time to cook, is on the table in 10 minutes, making it a perfect recipe for those busy nights!
It may seem like a long list of ingredients, but most of them are spices. I have used traditional or common spices in tagines: ginger, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, (saffron is often used too but is a little expensive for our budget right now), and paprika/chilli, which is often added to vegetable tagines such as this one.
This is a kid friendly tagine – the chilli level is mild, the extra kick comes from the optional harissa yogurt: Mix 70g / ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt with 1 tsp harissa paste and a pinch of salt.
I am a huge fan of tinned chickpeas, which allow you to make an array of quick and easy vegetarian and vegan dinners; from creamy coconut curry, tomato based Chana Masala, to Indian spiced salads.
Frequently asked Questions:
What can I serve with chickpea tagine?
Couscous, although I prefer to eat it on its own. If you have meat-eaters in your family, whilst I don’t think you miss the meat, you could serve some of these Moroccan lamb meatballs on the side.
How long can I store the tagine for?
Keep in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
Can I freeze this tagine?
Yes you can. Cool completely then freeze for up to 2 months.
What does tagine mean?
The word ‘Tagine’ or ‘Tajine’ is the name of the earthenware cooking vessel in which the Moroccan stews are traditionally made. The conical lid captures the steam and it drips down back to the dish, steaming the food and keeping all that moistness and flavour in the food. As I don’t have a tagine, I use a saucepan with a tight fitting lid instead.
Tips for making the best vegetarian tagine:
Add the tinned chickpeas near the end of cooking to prevent them from becoming mushy.
The fiery harissa yogurt adds a lovely kick to the dish, but leave off when serving to toddlers and kids.
Make it your best tagine recipe:
- Add juice of half a lemon at the end, which optional but adds a lovely freshness to the dish.
- Use dates rather than dried apricots.
- You could sprinkle over some flaked almonds at the end, to serve. When serving this to toddler Jones I leave them out, but I do like the crunch of nuts in the tagine.
- Vegan Tagine: Use maple syrup instead of honey. If you are wanting to serve harissa yogurt with it, use a dairy free unsweetened yogurt.
Chickpea Tagine
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground ginger if you want to use fresh ginger, see note below
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 2 carrots chopped into bitesize pieces
- 400g (14oz) tinned tomatoes diced
- 240ml 1 c vegetable stock
- 50g ¼ c dried apricots roughly chopped
- 1 orange zest and juice
- 1 tbsp runny honey vegan, see note below
- 400g (14oz) tin chickpeas
- salt
- black pepper
- ½ lemon juice, optional
- fresh parsley to serve, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, fry the diced red onion for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Lower the heat and add the ground turmeric, ground cumin, cinnamon, sweet paprika, ground ginger, cayenne and chopped carrots, stir.
- Add the tomatoes, stock, dried apricots, orange juice and zest, and honey.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a simmer.
- Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
- Add the chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes to heat them through.
- Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed and add lemon juice, if using.
- Serve sprinkled with parsley.
- Enjoy on it's own, or with couscous
Notes
Nutrition
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Alex says
The flavours in this are incredible – we were looking for some new and creative ways to use chickpeas, and I am so pleased to have come across this recipe!
Robyn says
So glad to hear I could provide some inspiration Alex!