Flavorful Moroccan Lentil Tagine With Carrots And Cauliflower

This Moroccan lentil tagine recipe is a hearty, nutritious dish crammed with protein and vegetables. It uses traditional Moroccan spices such as cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. It’s cooked on the stove in a tagine and is entirely vegan. 

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Tools For This Recipe:

• Uno Casa Tagine Pot: Buy direct from Uno Casa and receive a coordinating dual oven mitt and a recipe book. Holds 3.65 quarts making it perfect for families. The exterior is made from durable and chip-resident enamel. Use this link to save 15% on all UnoCasa products. Discount applied at checkout.
• Garlic press: We have the Zulay garlic press and love it. No need to even peel the garlic.
• Oxo 3 Piece Peeler Set: Includes an ergonomic easy to use vegetable peeler for the carrots
• Tongs: These silicone-tipped kitchen tongs make moving the carrots and vegetables around super easy.

Recipe Information:

Tagine | Cooks In 70 Minutes | Moroccan | Vegan | Healthy

Why A Lentil Tagine?

A tagine is used in cooking, a pot used in many popular Moroccan recipes. Dishes cooked in a Moroccan tagine usually include protein and vegetables, cooked in a sauce and served straight out of the tagine. 

Most tagine dishes you’ll find in Morocco contain meat. However, they can be adapted to suit a vegetarian diet. I got some tips on this while visiting Morocco. We had a vegetarian in our group, so we often asked for other options. 

During this trip to Morocco, I learned how to use a tagine. We went on a tour that included learning about where the tagine pots were made. 

I have adapted this dish slightly to my taste. Although lentils aren’t typically used in Moroccan cooking, I love them, and I think the fusion works well. So this cauliflower and lentil tagine was created entirely by myself while being inspired by Moroccan cuisine. I’ve done similar things with other cuisines, including using green lentils in this lentil dahl recipe.

Ingredients For Carrot, Cauliflower and Lentil Tagine

As with many Moroccan dishes, the base for this lentil tagine recipe uses olive oil, garlic, and onion for flavor. The onions should be finely diced, and the garlic should be crushed using a garlic press. It would be best if you did not have large pieces of onions or garlic in this tagine. 

The Spice

This lentil tagine recipe uses traditional Moroccan spices such as cumin and cinnamon, which give the dish a rounded, earthy flavor. You’ll find cumin is used in almost all Moroccan recipes. They even have it on the tables in Moroccan restaurants alongside the salt. Cumin essentially replaces pepper as a condiment on the table.  

Type of Lentils

It depends on your preference as to what lentils you use in this tagine. Both brown and green work well. However, red lentils can also be used if preferred. They will give a different texture to your finished dish.

Green and brown lentils hold their shape after cooking, adding a great texture, but they take a little longer to cook. The cooking time should be less for red lentils, particularly split red lentils. They take a lot less time to cook.

The good thing about this dish is that there is no need to soak the lentils beforehand. They are essentially soaked during the cooking process. Just ensure that you rinse and soak them before cooking. To speed up the cooking process, you can always soak the lentils briefly while prepping the rest of your ingredients. 

Cooking This Cauliflower Tagine

I chose to add cauliflower to this Moroccan lentil recipe because the large pieces make the dish appear as substantial as it would if it contained chicken or lamb pieces. I usually cut the cauliflower into large, bite-size pieces, but you can do them smaller or larger if you prefer. Just remember to adjust your cooking time accordingly. 

You can use the cauliflower leaves, too. They add a fabulous vibrancy to the tagine and extra fiber and texture. Ensure you remove the bottoms of the leaves, as they can be a little stringy and unpleasant to eat. 

Other Ingredients For A Lentil Tagine

Tomatoes are the base for the sauce in this lentil tagine. It’s down to preference whether you want to use canned or fresh diced. I like to use the canned ones as they carry many flavors and save a messy prep job. Also, Eric doesn’t like chunks of fresh tomato in his food, so it works well for us. 

The dish also contains carrots, I recommend getting organic ones, as they carry a lot more flavor, but any carrots will work fine. Dice the carrot into relatively small chunks so that they will cook a lot quicker. 

For the broth, of course, if you’re making this as a vegetarian dish, you’ll be using vegetable broth. If you are not vegan, however, chicken broth also works well. 

Adding Harissa To A Lentil Tagine

Lastly, I like to add a bit of harissa paste to my tagine. This is a Moroccan chili paste made with floral, zesty spices, and it adds a great dash of flavor. You can also garnish with a wedge of fresh lemon or lemon zest if you want to add even more citrus. 

I became a little obsessed with harissa after our most recent trip to Morocco. I’ve used it in many recipes as varied as a Spicy Harissa Pasta Recipe With Black Olives & Capers and a Roasted Harissa Cauliflower.

How To Make Moroccan Cauliflower and Lentil Tagine

Place your tagine on your stovetop over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic, and cook for around 3-4 minutes until onions and garlic begin to soften. (Be careful not to burn).

Add in your cinnamon, cumin, and paprika, mix well until the aromas of the spices are released, and toss in the carrot and lentils. Mix well and season. 

Handy Tip: Don’t be shy with the salt in this dish. It will carry the flavors of the other ingredients.

Sweat the carrots for around 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften, then add in your tomatoes and broth. Mix well, put the lid on the tagine and cook for around 40 minutes until the lentils are cooked. 

Adding The Cauliflower

While your lentil tagine is cooking, check it occasionally to see how your lentils are coming along, and also give it the odd stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you notice that the dish has started to dry out, add a little more broth. You can add water instead, but make sure to adjust the seasoning accordingly. 

After 40 minutes of cooking, add in your cauliflower and cauliflower leaves, and stir the tagine. Pop the lid back on, and cook for another 10 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked to your desired consistency. 

Add a tablespoon of harissa, a pinch of lemon zest, or a squeeze of lemon juice, and check one last time for seasoning. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. 

Moroccan Lentil Tagine with Cauliflower