Tagine with sweet potatoes, pumpkin and dates

Tagine for 4-6 people

Preparation: approx. 30 minutes.

Roasting time: approximately 1-2 hours depending on the temperature.

Tasty vegetarian autumn tagine

When fall arrives, there's nothing better than a warm and flavorful tagine filled with seasonal vegetables. This vegetarian fall tagine combines the sweetness of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and dates with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cumin. The result is a wonderfully aromatic dish that tenderizes the vegetables and bursts with flavor. Serve with coarse couscous and a sprinkle of fresh coriander and parsley.

Tagine or tajine – both spellings are often used. The word tagine comes from Berber and means clay dish. The traditional clay dish has a characteristic cone-shaped lid and is a widely used way of cooking food in Morocco. It functions a bit like a roasting pan, where the food simmers slowly while the steam circulates under the lid, keeping the ingredients juicy and flavorful.

If you choose the beautiful traditional clay-colored tagine, you can both cook the dish directly in the oven and serve it in the decorative dish. You can also cook on your induction stove if you place it on a metal plate or a large pan.

There are countless variations of the traditional Moroccan tagine, with everything from fish, chicken and lamb to vegetarian versions with seasonal vegetables. That's the beauty of tagine. You can vary the ingredients according to the season, taste and what you have in the kitchen.

For 4 -6 people:

1 small butternut squash (cut into large cubes or sticks)

4 large sweet potatoes

2 onions

2 tomatoes

1 squash

15 dates

Spice mix:
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ginger
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1 vegetable bouillon cube. Season with salt and pepper.

1. Mix all the spices together in a bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over each layer as you assemble your tagine.
2. Pour a little olive oil and water into the bottom of the tagine. Spread onion rings all over the bottom and cover with sliced tomatoes.
3. Start assembling your tagine by layering butternut squash all the way around in the first layer. In the second layer, alternate butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Finish with a third layer, alternating squash and sweet potatoes. Remember to sprinkle the spice mixture over each layer.
4. Dissolve vegetable stock in boiling water and pour over the dish until the liquid reaches about 1.5 cm below the edge of the tagine. The vegetables will also release water during cooking, so there needs to be room for the extra liquid.
5. Place the lid on the tagine and place it in a cold oven. Simmer the dish at 180 degrees for about 1 hour, or choose a longer cooking time at 160 degrees for about 2 hours.
6. Add the dates when there are about 30 minutes left in the cooking time so that they do not cook completely.
7. When the tagine is finished, sprinkle it with fresh coriander and parsley.
8. Serve with bulgur, couscous, rice or bread.

Bon appetite!

If you've developed a taste for this vegetarian autumn tagine with sweet potatoes, butternut squash and dates, you can also explore my other Moroccan recipes. Find them here.

If you want to know more about the origin of the tagine, read my blog post about it. Here you will find e.g. an original tagine recipe from the 13th century. Read it here.

Are you going to try your hand at making a tagine at home?

At Tibladin you will find a selection of beautiful, handmade tagines from Morocco in different colors and sizes. The traditional clay pots are both practical and decorative and bring a little piece of Moroccan food culture into your kitchen.

Our large tagines are approved for food contact and can be used to prepare delicious Moroccan dishes. With a genuine Moroccan tagine, you can simmer ingredients slowly and create flavorful dishes like this vegetarian autumn tagine.