Vegan Tagine with Chickpeas

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, (plus more for drizzling)

1 large yellow onion, (diced)

1 medium red bell pepper, (chopped)

6 garlic cloves, (finely chopped)

1 cinnamon stick (optional, see Note 1)

2 cups (480 mL) vegetable broth

3 cups peeled and finely diced butternut squash (400g, see Note 2)

2 (15-ounce/425g) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt, (more to taste)

1 (14.5-ounce/410g) can crushed tomatoes

3 to 6 large Medjool dates, (chopped, see Note 3)

1 medium lemon, (zested + 1 tablespoon juice)

1 big handful of flat-leaf parsley (or cilantro) leaves and tender stems, (chopped)

1 tablespoon ras el hanout (see Note 4)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, ½ tsp for some good heat)

A generous crack of black pepper

A pinch of ground cloves

5 ounces (140g) plain vegan yogurt

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (more to taste depending on your yogurt brand)

½ teaspoon ground coriander

Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375º/190ºCF. Arrange an oven rack to fit a Dutch oven (or tagine pan, if you have one) or braising pan.

Stir together the spices for the Spice Mix.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes, adding a splash of water as needed to deglaze the pan and prevent the onions from burning. Add the bell pepper, garlic, and cinnamon stick, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the Spice Mix and stir vigorously for 1 minute. If it starts to dry out, add a splash of water.

Pour in some of the broth to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Add the remaining broth, squash, chickpeas, bay leaves, salt, tomatoes, and dates. Stir, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, and drizzle with a nice glug of olive oil, and stir again to combine. Place the lid on the pan and ensure it’s fitted tightly.a. NOTE: If you don’t have a lid for your pan, cover tightly with foil.

Transfer to the oven and bake, covered, for 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and the mixture is thick and stew-like.

Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce (or make 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerate). In a bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, salt to taste, and coriander. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the best flavor, cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in half of the zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste, adding more lemon zest or juice as desired.

Serve in bowls topped with yogurt sauce, chopped parsley or cilantro, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Nutrition

• Calories: 422 kcal
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
• Sodium: 498 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 71 g
• Dietary Fiber: 17 g
• Total Sugars: 24 g
• Protein: 20 g