Moroccan-style vegetarian tagine
A fragrant, vegan aubergine and chickpea tagine with preserved lemon and olives — earthy spices, tender veg and bright coriander.
This vegetarian tagine is all about cosy North African spice without any fuss — aubergine and courgette soak up a fragrant ras el hanout-scented sauce, while chickpeas add body and olives and preserved lemon give that characteristic bright note. It’s perfect for midweek dinners or a relaxed weekend supper where you want flavours, not faff.
Made in a tagine or a heavy casserole, it’s wonderfully forgiving: once it’s simmering low and slow the stove does most of the work. Serve with couscous, flatbreads or a simple green salad.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 400 g aubergine — cut into 2cm chunks
- 300 g courgette — halved lengthways then cut into 1cm slices
- 150 g red pepper — deseeded and chopped
- 150 g brown onion — finely sliced
- 3 garlic — crushed
- 10 ml ras el hanout
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 0 ml ground cinnamon
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes — one standard tin
- 400 g tinned chickpeas — drained
- 400 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 40 g preserved lemon — finely chopped
- 60 g green olives — pitted and halved
- 20 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 1 lemon — cut into wedges
- 5 ml sea salt — adjust to taste
- 5 ml black pepper
Equipment
- tagine or heavy-based casserole dish
- wooden spoon
- colander
Instructions
Put the aubergine in a large bowl, sprinkle over 1 tsp sea salt, toss and leave to sit for 20 minutes to draw out bitterness and excess moisture. After 20 minutes, rinse briefly under cold water and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the olive oil in a tagine or heavy-based casserole over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and a pinch of sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 minutes.
Add the garlic, ras el hanout, ground cumin, smoked paprika and ground cinnamon and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
Tip in the aubergine, courgette and red pepper. Increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables begin to brown, 10 minutes.
Stir in the tinned chopped tomatoes, tinned chickpeas, preserved lemon, green olives and the hot vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover the tagine or casserole, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has melded.
Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook uncovered for 3–5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra sea salt or black pepper.
Stir through most of the fresh coriander, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve scattered with the remaining fresh coriander and lemon wedges.
Tips
- Salting and drying the aubergine before cooking is essential: it stops the dish becoming watery and helps the aubergine brown.
- If you don't have a tagine, a heavy-based casserole with a tight-fitting lid works equally well — keep the heat low and steady.
- Make ahead: the tagine improves overnight. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce.
- If the sauce looks too thin at the end, remove the lid and boil for a few minutes to reduce; if too thick, stir in 2–3 tbsp hot water or stock.
- Serve with fluffy couscous or roasted new potatoes. For extra punch, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and scatter more chopped fresh coriander at the table.
Substitutions
preserved lemon → zest and juice of 1 lemon (zest finely grated + 1 tbsp juice)
Stays closetinned chickpeas → 200 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked until tender (add cooking liquid to stock if you like)
Noticeably differentgreen olives → 50 g pitted black olives
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 275
- Calories
- 9 g
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes — the recipe contains no gluten as written. Serve with gluten-free couscous or quinoa if needed.
What if I don't have preserved lemon?
Use lemon zest and a little lemon juice (see substitutions). It won't be identical but retains the bright citrus note.
Can I use a different vegetable instead of aubergine?
You can swap aubergine for sweet potato or butternut squash, but cooking times may increase and the texture will be sweeter and firmer.
How long will leftovers keep?
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat gently from chilled or defrosted.
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