This tagine recipe is inspired by my father, who made it every summer on Sundays in Morocco. The aroma of fresh vegetables, warm spices, and preserved lemon would fill the house, and we’d gather around the table to share it together. In this video, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this vibrant vegan tagine – from preparing the sauce, layering the vegetables, to slow-cooking it to perfection. It’s packed with flavor, uses fresh summer produce, and is completely plant-based. Perfect for family meals, dinner parties, or a taste of Morocco at home.
Start by making the base sauce that will flavor every layer of your tagine. Combine olive oil, water, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, turmeric, and ginger. Mix it all up until well combined — this is the magic that ties everything together.
Thinly slice three garlic cloves and a quarter of a preserved lemon, and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables:
Slice two red onions thinly.
Trim the eggplants, zucchinis, and peppers, and cut them into even slices.
Trim the ends of the green beans and snap them in half by hand.
Peel two potatoes and cut them “à la main” — in half, then quarters, then eighths, so they cook evenly.
Slice your tomatoes to layer later.
Once all vegetables are ready, it’s time to build the tagine.
Set your tagine over a diffuser on the stove. Add three tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom.
Place about three-quarters of the onions as your first layer — they’ll release flavor, moisture, and protect the rest from burning.
Add the garlic on top of the onions, then spoon a little of your sauce over this base layer.
Add the tomato slices, followed by the green beans, creating a small mound in the center.
Arrange the remaining vegetables — eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and potatoes — around that central pile. Build it up like a little vegetable mountain.
Tuck in the preserved-lemon slices between the vegetables for flavor and color.
Scatter the remaining onions on top, then pour the rest of your sauce all over the vegetables.
Cover the tagine and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce starts to bubble gently.
Once you see liquid forming, uncover the tagine and let it simmer for a bit so some water evaporates.
Cover again and keep cooking slowly, checking occasionally. The tagine is ready when all the vegetables are tender — especially the potatoes.
When everything is cooked through, uncover and let the sauce reduce until it thickens and coats the vegetables beautifully.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. The sauce should be rich, not watery.
Serve warm, directly from the tagine. Every bite should be soft, flavorful, and deeply comforting — just like a Sunday summer lunch in Morocco.
