Moroccan Chickpea Tagine – Done in No Time, Vegan Friendly!

Being time-poor is no excuse to buy pricey, nutritionally dodgy fast food – this Chickpea Tagine can be on your table in less than 20 minutes!

Rushed off your feet and time-poor? That’s still no excuse for buying pricey, nutritionally questionable take-aways instead of putting a home cooked meal on the table. I’ve been flat out this week and by the time you read this I’ll be scrunched into a space designed for a ten year old, in a plane, heading to the Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand) for a few days. Because of my travel plans, I’ve had less time to potter around in the kitchen than usual and was looking for quick, appetising meals to put on the table. Sometimes it’s surprising how easy that can be.

I came up with this super-fast, super-tasty, super-nutritious Moroccan Chickpea Tagine almost on the spot the other night. I always keep staples like dried beans, chickpeas and tinned tomatoes in the pantry – all of which can be the basis for a quick accompaniment to a serve of protein or, with a little thought, a stand alone meal.

 I also always have preserved lemons in my fridge. They are simply wonderful for giving loads of dishes a lift and are simple to make. With plenty of lemons around at the moment, now is the time to grab a few jars and preserve these yourself. They are ridiculously expensive to buy, but too simple to make – try the method I use and wrote about over five years ago when this food blog was just a baby.

This delicious and healthy dish can be simmering away while you grill some fish or chicken, or sling a few chops on the barbecue. It is vegan-friendly, is just as nice at room temperature as it is hot and would also make a great salad in the warmer weather. Like most stews or casseroles, it will taste much nicer on the second day, so is a great make-ahead dish, too. I made it in my KitchenAid Cook Processor, but have also given stove-top instructions.

Moroccan Chickpea Tagine

Amanda McInerney of www.lambsearsandhoney.com

A delicious side dish - hot or at room temperature as a salad. Vegan friendly too!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 can chickpeas drained
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion quartered (or chopped if using stove top method)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 75 mls olive oil
• 2 tsp ras el hanout Moroccan mixed spice
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1/2 preserved lemon rind rinsed, pat dry, diced
• 100 gms baby spinach leaves
• Salt pepper
• 1/2 fresh lemon
• 
  
• 200 mls thick Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Instructions

 

• KitchenAid Cook Processor instructions
• Fit MultiBlade to Cook Processor, add onion, close lid and pulse for 5 seconds to chop finely.
• Remove MultiBlade and replace with StirAssist.
• Add oil to Cook Processor, set temperature 120C, time 5 minutes, speed 2 and close lid, but remove measuring cup, add garlic through the opening at the 4 minute mark.
• When onion & garlic are done, add chickpeas, tomatoes and ras el hanout. Set temperature 100C, time 10 minutes, speed 2.
• When cooking is completed add the currants, lemon, spinach leaves and juice of half a lemon, stirring until the spinach is wilted.
• Stove top
• Heat oil over moderate heat, add onion and saute, stirring, until transparent.
• Add garlic, stir through for 1 minute.
• Add chickpeas, tomatoes and ras el hanout, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
• Add the currants, preserved lemon, spinach leaves and the juice of half a lemon & stir until the spinach is wilted.
• Season to taste.
• Stir ground cumin through the yoghurt and serve as a sauce for the tagine.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!