Aubergine (Eggplant) Tagine with Chickpeas is a tasty Moroccan-inspired dish. If you're looking for a super simple yet tasty recipe, this Vegan Tagine is for you. A tagine has a beautiful mix of warming spices with a hint of sweetness. I've paired down the ingredient list and opted to oven-roast the vegetables in the spices rather than cooking it all on the stovetop or in a tagine pot. Roasting the vegetables allows the natural sugars to caramelise and develop a deeper richer flavour. It's also very hands-off, allowing you to get on with your day. I've tested both methods and the oven roasting method gives the best flavour.
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A tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew with a delicate balance between sweet and spicy, using dried fruit such as apricots, sultanas or dates and a special Moroccan spice called Ras-el-hanout. Traditionally it's cooked with meat or fish but this vegan tagine uses just vegetables and grains. For an alternative to a traditional lamb version check out my Chicken Mince Tagine which is ready in just 20 minutes. For more aubergine (eggplant) recipes, try my Aubergine and Chickpea Curry or Aubergine Stew (Caponata).
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Ingredients
This is a simple vegetarian version of a tagine and uses a minimal number of ingredients.
- Aubergine (Eggplant) - look for aubergines with a firm skin. Total weight around 500g. You can also use baby aubergines.
- Red Bell Pepper - use red, yellow or orange pepper, but not green as they taste too bitter.
- Red Onion - red onion caramalises nicely in this recipe.
- Courgette (zucchini) - a traditional vegetable in a tagine. Courgettes should be firm.
- Ras-el-hanout - a Moroccan spice mix of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin and tumeric. Look for it in the dried spices section. As an alternative, you might find a Tagine paste which you can also use. Note different brands will be different strengths so the quantity in the recipe is just a guide.
- Chopped tomatoes - a good quality brand will have a lower water content and give a nice thick sauce.
- Chickpeas - used tinned or canned chickpeas in water.
- Dried Apricots - dried fruits are traditional ingredients.
- Balsamic Vinegar - this adds a nice sweet tanginess, but you can leave it out if you don't have it.
Why cook a tagine in the oven?
Like all my recipes, this is an easy recipe designed for busy cooks. Rather than frying vegetables at different times, I've opted to cook it altogether. When I've tested the recipe, I also found that roasting the vegetables in the spices gave a much better and deeper flavour as it allowed the vegetables to caramalise.
- Hands off minimal prep.
- Easy one-pot dish
- Better deeper flavour
- No need to pre-salt the aubergines (eggplant)
Instructions
If you are batch cooking this recipe, I recommend using two separate roasting trays so the vegetables sit in a single layer.
See recipe card for quantities.
Pre-heat the oven to 220 C / 420 F. Add the olive oil to a large roasting tray. Chop the aubergine (eggplant) red pepper, courgette (zucchini), onion, and garlic and add to the tray in a single layer. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil.
Sprinkle the ras-el-hanout over the top or stir in the tagine paste and stir so the vegetables are well coated. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven.
Add the dried apricots, tinned chopped tomatoes, drained chickpeas and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything together, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Cook the couscous according to the packet instructions and add the juice and zest of a lemon. Pine nuts and fresh mint or coriander (cilantro) are optional.
Serve the tagine together with the couscous and top with fresh mint or coriander leaves (cilantro). See Topping suggestions for more ideas.
Substitutions
There are a few easy substitions you can make with this Aubergine and Chickpea Tagine recipe.
- Ras-el-hanout - if you can't find this spice mix you can try a Tagine Paste or a Baharat mix. You can also make your own using this easy recipe from Feasting at Home.
- Apricots - instead of apricots you can use medjool dates, sultanas or raisins.
- Chickpeas - replace the chickpeas with cooked beans such as red kidney beans, black beans or cannellini beans. Use ones that have been canned in water.
Toppings
Adding a variety of toppings to your aubergine tagine can enhance the flavour and make it stand out.
- Herbs - fresh mint leaves or coriander (cilantro) go best with a tagine. Don't use dried herbs as they won't have the same flavour.
- Nuts - add a sprinkle of flaked almonds or pine nuts to the top of your tagine.
- Pomegranate Seeds - these add a dash of colour and are also traditional to North Africa.
- Citrus - some recipes add lemon to a tagine. I like to serve it with a wedge of lemon or lime and squeeze some juice over the top.
- Yoghurt - a spoonful of natural yoghurt or to keep it vegan, use a dairy-free coconut yoghurt.
Equipment
You don't need a special tagine pot for this recipe, just the following :-
- A large roasting dish
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
Serving Suggestion
Serve your Aubergine and Chickpea Tagine with some lemon couscous or try this easy 3 ingredient flatbread recipe or some pitta bread.
Instead of couscous, you can also serve it with rice, quinoa or other grains.
For something extra, add a few slices of avocado or a green side salad.
Storage
You can store this vegetable tagine in the fridge for 3-4 days. The flavour will develop over a few days so can actually taste better. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Sustainability
Try to buy the vegetables lose without any plastic packaging. The spices can be bought as Fairtrade. Couscous and lemons can also be bought Fairtrade.
Swapping to a meat free meal is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. For more tips on how to reduce your meat intake and eat more plants based foods, check out this post.
Green Tip
This is a great recipe for batch-cooking which will save on energy costs. You can enjoy leftovers cold for lunch the next day, or freeze them for another day.
FAQ
Sometimes, aubergines can taste bitter so dicing and sitting them in salt before cooking can get rid of the bitterness. However, if your aubergines have nice firm skins rather than wrinkled ones, they are unlikely to have a bitter taste. In this tagine recipe, as we roast the aubergines, there is no need to pre-salt them.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
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📖 Recipe
Easy Aubergine (Eggplant) Vegan Tagine with Chickpeas
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Equipment
- 1 Roasting Tray Large enough to roast vegetables in a single layer.
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 Knife to chop vegetables
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil Fairtrade available
- 2 Aubergines / Eggplant About 500g / 18oz, diced
- 1 Red Onion peeled and diced
- 2 Red Bell Peppers De-seeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 1 Courgette /zucchini medium, chopped into sticks
- 3 tablespoon Ras-el-hanout or Tagine Paste
- 15 Dried Apricots Chopped into 3 -4 pieces
- 800 g Chopped Tomatoes Canned
- 400 g Chickpeas Canned in water, cooked & drained. (pre drained weight)
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
For the Couscous
- 200 g Couscous
- 200 ml Hot vegetable stock or boiling water
- 1 Lemon Juice and zest
- 4 tablespoon Fresh Mint or Coriander (Cilantro) leaves. Optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220 C / 420 F. Add the olive oil to a large roasting tray. Chop the aubergine (eggplant) red pepper, courgette (zucchini), onion, and garlic and add to the tray in a single layer.3 tablespoon Olive Oil, 2 Aubergines / Eggplant, 1 Red Onion, 2 Red Bell Peppers, 2 garlic cloves, 1 Courgette /zucchini
- Sprinkle the ras-el-hanout over the top or stir in the tagine paste and stir so the vegetables are well coated. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.3 tablespoon Ras-el-hanout
- Remove the tray from the oven.
- Add the dried apricots, tinned chopped tomatoes, drained chickpeas and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything together, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes800 g Chopped Tomatoes, 400 g Chickpeas, 15 Dried Apricots, 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- Cook the couscous according to the packet instructions and add the juice and zest of a lemon. Pine nuts and fresh mint or coriander (cilantro) are optional.200 g Couscous, 200 ml Hot vegetable stock, 1 Lemon
- Serve the tagine together with the couscous and top with fresh mint or coriander leaves (cilantro). See Topping suggestions for more ideas.4 tablespoon Fresh Mint
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Aubergine (Eggplant) - look for aubergines with a firm skin. Total weight around 500g
-
- Red Bell Pepper - use red, yellow or orange pepper, but not green as they taste too bitter.
-
- Red Onion - red onion caramalises nicely in this recipe.
-
- Courgette (zucchini) - a traditional vegetable in a tagine. Courgettes should be firm.
-
- Ras-el-hanout - a Moroccan spice mix of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin and tumeric. Look for it in the dried spices section. As an alternative, you might find a Tagine paste which you can also use. Note different brands will be different strengths so the quantity in the recipe is just a guide.
-
- Chopped tomatoes - a good quality brand will have a lower water content and give a nice thick sauce.
-
- Chickpeas - used tinned or canned chickpeas in water.
-
- Dried Apricots - dried fruits are traditional ingredients.
-
- Balsamic Vinegar - this adds a nice sweet tanginess, but you can leave it out if you don't have it.
Storage
You can store this vegetable tagine in the fridge for 3-4 days. The flavour will develop over a few days so can actually taste better. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Karin Snape
Absolutely awesome, so good and tasty