Spicy Sweet Potato: Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

I recently saw a vegetable tagine on a restaurant menu it sounded so delicious that I just had to try it. Unfortunately, the restaurant dish didn’t live up to my expectations but it did inspire me to try my own variation. Tagines, a boldly spiced dish originating in North Africa, are named after the the clay, cone shaped dish that they are traditionally cooked in. Tagine recipes vary greatly but are typically a one-pot stew of meat or vegetables slow cooked in delightful African spice blend. My not-quite-authentic-but-still-delicious Moroccan Vegetable Tagine includes eggplant, squash, and fennel cooked in a tomato sauce infused with cinnamon, coriander, cumin and more. Instead of a tagine pot, I used a dutch oven to slowly roast the vegetables but the result was still flavorful and amazing! The tagine is delicious on it’s own as a side dish or you can serve over rice to turn it into an entrée.

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Gluten Free
Serves Two
Click Here for a Printable Version of Recipe

Ingredients--
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a red bell pepper, seeded chopped
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons double concentrated tomato paste (like the the kind by Amore )
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
Dash of cayenne, to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 1 cup vegetable broth, divided
3 Roma tomatoes, stems removed and diced
1 baby or graffiti eggplant (about 12 ounces), ends removed and chopped
1/2 of a zucchini, diced
1/4 of a small fennel bulb, finely diced
4 ounces butternut squash, peeled, seeded & diced (about 1/2 of a cup once diced)
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained
4-5 kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour olive oil into a large dutch oven and heat to medium low. Add bell pepper and cinnamon stick and saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic clove to dutch oven and saute for 1 minute.

3. Stir in tomato paste, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, spices (cayenne, paprika, cumin, coriander), and salt. Toast spices for 1-2 minutes then stir in 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, being sure to scrape the bottom of dutch oven with your spatula to pick up all of the flavoring.

4. Add Roma tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, fennel, and squash to Dutch oven, stirring to coat the vegetables in spices. Pour in remaining 1 cup of broth and crushed tomatoes. Use your fingers to lightly crush saffron threads, then add to pot and stir to combine all ingredients.

5. Place lid on Dutch oven and transfer to oven. Bake tagine for 42-46 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and vegetables are tender.

6. Remove tagine from oven and discard cinnamon stick. Stir in cannellini beans and olives, then recover pot and return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until all ingredients are heated through.