A tagine (or tajine) is usually cooked in... well, a tagine. It's a North African stew that's named after the pot it's cooked in, with its characteristic pointy top (something like this). I do actually have a lovely tagine, but I know not everybody does - not everyone has space in their kitchen for a piece of cookware that's dedicated to one particular dish (to be honest, I don't either, but I've crammed it in somewhere). Slow cookers are much more common, and much more versatile, so this time I thought I'd make a slow cooker tagine, with sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
You can put whatever kinds of vegetables you like in your slow cooker, as long as you make sure it's the kind of veg that benefits from long, slow cooking. I probably wouldn't add courgette (zucchini) or anything similar, as it will just cook down to a squidgy mess. Something like aubergine (eggplant) is perfect - it ends up nice and juicy and soft, and melts in your mouth, but still holds its shape. You'll often find dried fruit (dried apricots, that kind of thing) in a tagine, but I prefer using sweet potato, which adds a bit more of a subtle sweetness.
Once you've added your veg, you just need to add some of those amazing North African spices - cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika... the flavours are gorgeous.
This slow cooker tagine is perfect served with couscous and a dollop of yogurt (use soy yogurt to keep everything vegan), plus a sprinkling of chopped mint to make it feel really nice and fresh. I love this kind of healthy comfort food!
Sweet potato and chickpea slow cooker tagine
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 onion
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 medium aubergine (eggplant)
- 400 g tin chickpeas, drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
- 400 g tinned tomatoes (~ 1 ⅓ cups)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Black pepper
- To serve: couscous, yogurt (soy yogurt if vegan), fresh mint
Instructions
- Peel the onion and sweet potato, then cut all the vegetables into 1 inch chunks. Add them to your slow cooker, along with the chickpeas, tomatoes, spices, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring once halfway. Serve with couscous, with a dollop of yogurt and some fresh mint.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Here's another easy slow cooker recipe, and one of my most popular - Crock-Pot mushroom stroganoff!
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John says
Hi Becca
This looks delicious! Like you I have a tagine tucked away in a cupboard somewhere! If I were to prepare this dish in my tagine is the cooking time any different to 4 hours? Also should I place it in the oven or on the stove top or either - its a versatile tagine.
Many thanks
John
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
I would bake it in the oven, something like 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F). I imagine it would be quite a lot quicker than 4 hours - I'd check it after an hour or so and see if it needs any longer :) Hope you enjoy it!
Paul Francis says
Very good recipe, easy to do.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Nik says
Absolutely delicious! Especially if you let the spices toast in the slow cooker while you're preparing the veg :)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ooh that's a really great idea!
reena says
could this be frozen?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I don't see why not! :)
Gemma says
Can this dish be reheated?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Absolutely! Just stick a portion in the microwave for a few minutes :)
Shiela Sway says
You wouldn't have an instant pot version of this amazing looking meal, would you?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I'm afraid not! I've actually never used an Instant Pot - would you recommend them? I guess for this one you would just throw all the ingredients in, and cook it until it's ready haha - much quicker than a slow cooker I would imagine!
Annabel says
Looks fabulous, although I'm a bit wary of sweet potatoes just now, having had bad indigestion after eating them a couple of times recently! Parsnips, and to a lesser extent carrots, by the way, work incredibly well in that sort of dish - again, a bit of sweetness that you want in a tagine.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
That's a shame! They work so well in this. Parsnip and carrot sound like good alternatives though :)