Vegetarian Chickpea Tagine with Butternut Squash, Zucchini & Eggplant
A cozy one-pan Moroccan-inspired vegetarian chickpea tagine loaded withgarden vegetables and pearl couscous that soaks up all the flavor. Scaled for2–3 servings.
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- ½ cup white onion (about 1 small onion),
- ¾ cup leeks diced, white and light green parts only, (about 1 leek)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 ¼ cups peeled diced butternut squash (or pumpkin or sweet potato)
- 1 cup zucchini diced (about 1 small zuchinni)
- 2 to 3 cups vegetable broth use Better Than Bouillon — 1 ¾ cups water + about 1 ¾ teaspoon concentrate; vegetable or “No Chicken” base
- 1 cup eggplant peeled and diced, (about ½ of a globe eggplant or 1 small long eggplant)
- ¼ cup carrot diced
- ¼ cup celery diced
- ¼ cup currants or raisins
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup pearl couscous
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics. In a wide Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ginger, onion, leeks, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, about 4–5 minutes.
- Bloom the spice. Stir in curry powder and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add hearty vegetables. Stir in butternut squash and zucchini. Add just enough broth to cover the vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Layer in more veggies. Add eggplant, carrot, celery, currants, pumpkin puree and more broth if needed, enough to cover the vegetables. Simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 20–25 minutes.
- Finish with chickpeas + couscous. Stir in chickpeas and pearl couscous. Let simmer, covered, until couscous is al dente and has absorbed much of the broth, about 7 minutes.
- Enrich & brighten. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Garnish with lemon zest before serving.
Notes
Make it your own: Sub sweet potato for butternut squash, or lentils/white beans for chickpeas.
• Broth tip: Better Than Bouillon keeps this vegetarian-friendly. Try the “No Chicken Base” for a plant-based broth with full chicken flavor.
• Pumpkin purée: Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays for easy portions to add to soups, stews, curries, or sauces.
• Broth tip: Better Than Bouillon keeps this vegetarian-friendly. Try the “No Chicken Base” for a plant-based broth with full chicken flavor.
• Pumpkin purée: Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays for easy portions to add to soups, stews, curries, or sauces.