Chickpea, squash and apricot tagine
42 min · 21 g protein · 499 cals / serving
A sweet-spiced Moroccan stew of butternut squash, carrots and two cans of chickpeas in a tomato sauce thickened with red lentils, warm with ras el hanout, cinnamon and ginger and studded with soft dried apricots. Spinach wilts in at the end, toasted almonds and coriander go on top. Vegan, gluten-free, cheap, and better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp ras el hanout
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp harissa, to taste (leave it out for a mild pot)
- 4 cups ready-cubed butternut squash (fresh or frozen) butternut squash, 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes; or peel and cube a small squash
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz) cans, drained and rinsed chickpeas
- 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To serve
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (or parsley)
- 3 tbsp chopped almonds, flaked or chopped
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and cook the onion and carrot 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and starting to colour.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, ras el hanout, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and harissa and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the squash, tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, apricots, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover with the lid ajar and simmer 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times so the lentils do not catch, until the squash is tender and the lentils have melted into a thick sauce. While it simmers, toast the almonds in a dry pan 2–3 minutes until golden.
- Stir in the spinach until it wilts and add the lemon juice. Taste for salt and loosen with a splash of water if it is very thick.
- Serve scattered with coriander and toasted almonds. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months; keep the almonds apart so they stay crunchy.
Good to know
What to serve it with?
Couscous is the classic (it contains wheat), or quinoa or brown rice to keep it gluten-free. A spoonful of plain or soy yogurt on top cools the spice.
No ras el hanout?
Use 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, 1/2 teaspoon each of ground ginger and paprika, and a pinch more cinnamon: that is most of what is in the jar.
Using a whole squash?
Peeling and cubing a small butternut adds about 10 minutes to the prep, which is why the recipe calls for ready-cubed squash from the chiller or freezer; frozen cubes go in straight from the bag.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 76
- Protein
- (17%)
- 3 g
- Fat
- (22%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (61%)
- 13 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 175 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1996 kcal goes into the pot and 2807 g of ingredients comes out as about 2625 g of food: 76 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.