Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Bowls with Chermoula

This easy stovetop Moroccan Vegetable Tagine makes a delicious vegetarian or vegan buddha bowl that can be served over your favorite grain, couscous, or rice. Topped with a smoky, spicy chermoula-style sauce, this chickpea vegetable stew is hearty and filling but can easily be thrown together on a busy weeknight in about 30 minutes.

Best Easy Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Recipe - Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Plant-based

When I was growing up in Wisconsin, my aunt and uncle used to take us to this wonderful Persian restaurant in Milwaukee:  Shahrazad. If you are ever visiting Milwaukee’s East Side, I highly recommend a stop.

Persian food was such a novelty to me. It was unlike any cuisine options we had in our home town. One of my favorite dishes at Shahrazad was Couscous Chicken which was served with this delicious side of stewed vegetables. I remember mixing up the veggies, chicken, and couscous into this perfect mixture, letting all the flavors meld into the most wonderful bite.

This Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Bowl recipe is my vegetarian/vegan homage to the wonderful dish I remember from my childhood. I don’t have time to wait for stewed vegetables, so this version is meant to be easy, packing all the classic flavors of this slow cooked dish into a quick chermoula sauce to smother the sautéed vegetables in. 

The resulting vegetarian stew is packed with flavor. Serve over couscous, rice, or your favorite grain for a hearty, filling meal--a Moroccan Buddha Bowl of sorts. For those of you watching your carb in-take, I’ve provided a variation in the post below for low carb and paleo diets.

This delicious vegan tagine is my idea of quick comfort food. Even though I have tons of Persian restaurant options here in Seattle, it’s nice to know I can make an easy weeknight meal at home that celebrates the flavors of this tremendously rich cuisine.

What is Chermoula?

Chermoula is a North African staple sauce, similar to a chimichurri, but with bold Moroccan flavors. Bright, flavorful, and slightly spicy, this versatile sauce varies in its exact ingredients, but it will normally always contain lemon, garlic, cilantro, and cumin. 

Chermoula is used as a sauce in this recipe but it can also double as a marinade. This delicious sauce is vegan, paleo, and low carb friendly making it the perfect option for a variety of diets. Serve it on top of chicken or fish, marinate kebabs, or smother your favorite veggies with this spicy, smokey sauce.

In this particular version, I’ve opted to include fire roasted tomatoes to add tanginess and more smokey flavor. While traditional chermoula is more of an herbal-forward sauce, this version rounds out the sauteed veggies to create that tagine-like vegetable stew.

How to Make Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Bowls with Chermoula Sauce

For a full recipe and measurements, scroll down to the recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes

Chickpeas. To create a faster recipe, I’ve opted to use canned chickpeas for this recipe. You can certainly cook your own dried chickpeas if you have the time. Of course, cooking your own chickpeas tastes better, and is very easy to do. Remember, chickpeas triple in volume, so 1 cup dried would be equal to about 3 cups cooked. Check out this handy guide to cooking dried chickpeas from Inspired Taste that includes multiple cooking methods.

Directions

To make this vegan Moroccan Buddha bowl recipe, 

Make the chermoula sauce. Combine all ingredients in a food processor bowl or blender carafe and pulse until a smooth sauce forms. Sauce should be thick and just pourable. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to thin out if necessary. Set aside and continue with the recipe.

Chop vegetables as indicated, set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper, cooking 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in zucchini and squash, saute until fork tender, another 2-3 minutes. Add chickpeas and spinach. Cook down spinach until just wilted, but still bright green. Remove from heat, add ¾ of reserved sauce, and stir to combine.

Serve vegetable tagine over grain of your choice or cauliflower rice. Top with additional sauce, if desired. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Chop vegetables to be relatively the same in size. Whether you use large, roughly chopped vegetables, or a finer dice, make sure to chop your vegetables to be relatively close in size so that you have an even cook. Onions and red peppers will need the longest cook time so that they have a similar texture to the zucchini and squash in the end.

Components of this recipe can be made ahead. Short on time? Make the chermoula sauce earlier in the day and refrigerate until you are ready to sauce the vegetables. The sauce holds up for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, and any leftovers are delicious on eggs!

What do I serve with Moroccan Chickpea Vegetable Bowls?

This vegan chickpea vegetable stew recipe is designed to be served over top your favorite grain, vegetable, or rice to create a Buddha bowl. I personally love this easy tagine served over Israeli couscous or brown basmati rice. For a lower carb option, use cauliflower rice.

However, you can absolutely enjoy this Moroccan chickpea and vegetable stew on it’s own with a piece of pita or flatbread on the side for dipping. Round out your meal with this easy, vegan Eggplant Macadamia Nut Hummus.

Recipe Variations

• For a lower carb and paleo variation, swap out the chickpeas for shredded rotisserie chicken, or grilled chicken thighs. Serve over cauliflower rice.
• Experiment with other vegetables! Swap out spinach for chopped curly or lacinato kale, or use eggplant (aubergine) in place of yellow squash. Red pepper can be exchanged for yellow or orange peppers.

Other Vegetable Stew Recipes you’ll love

• Hearty Vegetable Stew
• Quinoa Vegetable Stew
• Roasted Garlic Vegetable Stew with Lentils

Yield: 4

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Bowls with Chermoula

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This easy stovetop Moroccan Vegetable Tangine makes a delicious vegetarian or vegan buddha bowl that can be served over your favorite grain, couscous, or rice. Topped with a smoky, spicy chermoula-style sauce, this vegetable stew is hearty and filling but can easily be thrown together on a busy weeknight in about 30 minutes.

Print

Ingredients

Chermoula Sauce

• 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomato
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, packed
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste

Vegetable Tangine

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, about 1.5 cups, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, about 1.5 cups, chopped
• 1 15.5 ounce can cooked chick peas, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• salt, to taste

Instructions

Make the chermoula sauce. Combine all ingredients in a food processor bowl or blender carafe and pulse until a smooth sauce forms. Sauce should be thick and just pourable. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to thin out if necessary. Salt to taste. Set aside and continue with the recipe.

Chop vegetables as indicated, set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper, cooking 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in zucchini and squash, sauté until fork tender, another 2-3 minutes. Add chickpeas and spinach. Cook down spinach until just wilted, but still bright green. Remove from heat, add ¾ of reserved sauce, and stir to combine. Adjust salt to taste.

Serve vegetable tangine over grain of your choice or cauliflower rice. Top with additional sauce, if desired. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 356mgCarbohydrates: 49gNet Carbohydrates: 35gFiber: 14gSugar: 10gProtein: 15g

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and calculated to the best of my ability using online databases. It is suggested that you perform your own check to ensure that a recipe fits within the scope of your dietary needs.

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