Chickpea and Vegetable Tagine with Couscous

This one-pan stew cooks chickpeas, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion in a cumin-coriander base with tomato and apricots, then is spooned over couscous. It is built to finish in about 30 minutes, with the couscous prepared alongside the stew.

By Julienne

Cook time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 20 ml olive oil divided
• 150 g yellow onion small dice
• 120 g carrot cut into 1 cm pieces
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 3 cloves garlic cloves minced
• 150 g red bell pepper cut into 2 cm pieces
• 200 g zucchini cut into 2 cm pieces
• 4 g ground cumin none
• 3 g ground coriander none
• 2 g smoked paprika none
• 1 g ground cinnamon none
• 1 g chili flakes optional
• 10 ml olive oil divided
• 30 g tomato paste none
• 400 g canned diced tomatoes with juices
• 250 ml vegetable stock hot
• 480 g canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 40 g dried apricots chopped
• 4 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper freshly ground
• 200 g couscous dry
• 250 ml water boiling
• 1 whole lemon zested and juiced
• 10 g fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

1. Heat 20 ml of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot with 3 g of the salt, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften. The onion is translucent at the edges and the carrot has begun to soften.
2. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, zucchini, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and chili flakes if using. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant. The spices smell toasted and aromatic.
3. Stir in the remaining 10 ml olive oil and the tomato paste, then cook for 1 minute to darken the paste slightly. The tomato paste looks brick-red and glossy.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, hot vegetable stock, chickpeas, apricots, remaining salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The stew has thickened slightly and the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape.
5. While the stew simmers, combine the couscous in the medium saucepan with the boiling water, cover, and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the lemon juice and zest. The couscous is tender, fluffy, and no dry pockets remain.
6. Stir the cilantro into the stew, then taste and adjust with a little more salt if needed from the remaining balance. Spoon the tagine over the couscous and serve immediately. The finished dish is steaming hot, the sauce coats the chickpeas, and the couscous stays separate and fluffy.