While I was enjoying my ossobuco tagine , the whole wheat couscous that I served it on reminded my of quinoa and that sent mind down the path of using quinoa in a Moroccan style dish. At first I was thinking of just serving a tajine on some quinoa but why not add the quinoa directly to it so that it has more time to absorb all of the amazing flavours?
After the large holiday meals I wanted to go with something a little on the lighter side and since Spring has not blessed us with fresh local produce yet, I went with butternut squash which is still available. To that I added chickpeas which when combined with the quinoa would provide an ample amount of protein. Next up was a blend of warm spices, a touch of heat from some harissa, some sweetness from honey and raisins, some saltiness from olives and some brightness from cilantro and homemade preserved lemons .
I still felt that the meal was missing something green so I served it topped with sauteed swiss chard and a dollop of cilantro yogurt. I could not help but be reminded of a burrito bowl which led me to use try the leftovers in burrito form which along with a bit of crumbled feta was another great way to enjoy this dish.
Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Quinoa Tagine
This butternut squash and chickpea ‘tagine’ with quinoa has an amazing blend of spices, flavours and textures.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cup vegetable broth, or chicken, or water
- 1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup olives, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 preserved lemon, pith removed and diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the quinoa, broth, chickpeas, harissa, honey, raisins, olives, preserved lemon, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash and continue to simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Mix in the cilantro and remove from heat.
Moroccan Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Moroccan Nectarine and Plum Chicken Tagine
Baby Artichoke Heart Quinoa Risotto with Shrimp and Meyer Lemon Pesto
Butter Chicken Burritos
Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Picadillo Tacos
Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage Tortellini
Anonymous says
April 27, 2011 at 12:49 amLooks really good 🙂 and flavorful! I have some quinoa left and this could be the perfect way to use it 🙂
fiftyfinally says
April 27, 2011 at 1:50 amwell that was kinda interesting, but i really hate butternut squash….and it just so happens that I made some quinoa this evening that i want to dress up tomorrow. I have a – roasted to within an inch of it's life-yam soooo good. I'm going to add it to the grain tomorrow with whateveer else i can round up. thanks for the insperation
MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College says
April 27, 2011 at 2:52 amWow this look fantastic. I just made a curry and butternut squash stew the other week that was pretty delicious so I am digging the flavor combos. I love the addition of quinoa here. The colors are gorgeous.
Lebo says
April 27, 2011 at 3:31 amThank you for the recipe. Since I seem to have all the spice ingredients in my pantry, I will definitely but trying this.
I am wondering, what if I use barley instead of Quinoa?
janet says
April 27, 2011 at 3:36 amThis looks great, Kevin! I love the combination of flavours. 🙂
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
April 27, 2011 at 6:15 amA beautiful dish! That combination of ingredients is really mouthwatering. Great filling idea…
Cheers,
Rosa
jose manuel says
April 27, 2011 at 6:41 amMe encantan estos platos, la quinoa la he descubierto hace poco. Que delicia.
Saludos
The Mistress of Spices says
April 27, 2011 at 10:20 amThis sounds and looks delicious! I love the combination of butternut squash and chickpeas along with the other ingredients like harissa and preserved lemons. Great idea to serve it over quinoa instead of couscous – much healthier!
Joanne says
April 27, 2011 at 10:23 amThis is absolutely exactly my kind of meal! I adore butternut squash…and quinoa…and chickpeas…and moroccan flavors. Perfect!
Lauren Atkins says
April 27, 2011 at 11:44 amThat looks delicious. I LOVE the idea of the burrito. What a great way to use leftovers.
Kevin says
April 27, 2011 at 11:45 amfiftyfinally: Yams or sweet potatoes would work well here too!
Kevin says
April 27, 2011 at 11:50 amLebo: Barley should work, though it will take longer to cook and the texture will be slightly different.
Mika says
April 27, 2011 at 5:46 pmI don't like quinoa but this recipe seems delicious even with it…I like the idea of using cilantro yougurt, it adds freshness…lovely recipe…
Anonymous says
April 27, 2011 at 7:39 pmThis sounds amazing! Great idea.
Mindy says
April 27, 2011 at 7:53 pmThis sounds so good. I've been trying to think of creative ways to incorporate quinoa into things- thanks!
Rocky Mountain Woman says
April 27, 2011 at 8:31 pmCilantro and butternut squash? sounds wonderful!
Tammi Kibler says
April 28, 2011 at 1:37 amThis looks so delicious. I made a Moroccan quinoa salad over the weekend that I wish had included a sweet potato. Butternut squash would have worked well too.
I will remember your tip to include something salty. I like when every bite tastes a little different.
swetha says
April 28, 2011 at 2:40 amThis is so perfect! My mother has so much quinoa and butternut squash left from her foodie experiments. This recipe is going on the fridge right now. By the way, your blog is pure genius, thank you for sharing!
Cakebrain says
April 28, 2011 at 6:50 amI have a huge bag of Quinoa in my cupboard begging to be made into this dish! thanks for the inspiration!
Sasha says
April 29, 2011 at 3:19 pmThis was a really tasty and traditional-style Moroccan tagine recipe, but some of the proportions should be changed. First off, there is too much spice for covering 1 onion. Either put more onions or less spices. Secondly, this amount of cayenne and harissa together make it pretty well spicy for the average joe. Just a warning, could do fine with half the amount of cayenne. Thirdly, I was able to serve 8 people with this amount and I had seconds. Great recipe though, and looking forward to making those burritos!
Cara says
April 29, 2011 at 4:23 pmThis is absolutely my kind of dish! I made a Moroccan style chicken dish for Passover, and this would have been a perfect accompaniement! next time 🙂
Mark says
May 1, 2011 at 3:05 amGreat dish! I love trying new Moroccan dishes. Your photography is great too. Thanks.
Chris Brown says
June 1, 2011 at 10:37 pmI made this for supper tonight, using sweet potato instead of squash and half millet/half quinoa (only b/c I ran out of quinoa) and it was fantastic. The combination of flavours was so yummy! Unfortunately, I had to leave out the olives, lemons and cayenne to ensure my toddler would eat it, but it was worth it. He did–two whole bowls!
Jesse says
June 24, 2011 at 12:21 pmI just made this last week and it was AMAZING!! Thanks for the recipe! It was my first time trying quinoa- I'm kind of obsessed now.
http://drinkeatplayrepeat.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/lets-try-some-moroccan-shall-we/
Michelle says
November 23, 2011 at 7:25 pmThis was so delicious, I could eat it every day. I made this last night & may make it again tonight! It is quite fast & easy to prepare. I'm trying to avoid hot spices so I left the cayenne & harissa out & substituted fresh lemon slices for the preserved lemon because I did not have those on hand. I make my own chicken broth so I used that for the liquid & green olives for the… well… olives. Excellent. Thank you!
Lesley Lazewski says
January 22, 2012 at 11:54 amKeep up your good work you are changing the world one person at a time
Anonymous says
March 21, 2012 at 4:46 pmI used couscous instead of quinoa but note to self (and others): couscous cooks much faster than quinoa and shouldn't be added before the squash (otherwise you'll end up with uncooked or partially cooked squash while the couscous gets all mushy). I also didn't have any preserved lemons and used tomato paste instead of harissa as I didn't have that either. All in all, I think the substitutions were appropriate and worked well. Thank you for sharing!
Stephanie says
April 1, 2012 at 5:10 pmLoved this! I left out the lemon and the olives, and also substituted tomato paste for the harissa, although next time I make it I will buy and use harissa because I feel it could've used the extra spice. Thanks for posting!
Charlie says
July 3, 2012 at 12:17 amThanks so much for this – made it tonight and we loved it just as you posted it (though we used sweet potatoes). Perfectly delicious, a keeper, thanks again.
Anonymous says
October 23, 2012 at 3:30 pmDelicious! Not too spicy at all, and I'm not one for a lot of spice. I will definitely be making this again!
Anonymous says
December 25, 2012 at 2:34 amThis wowed everyone at Christmas dinner. I made it for the vegetarian gluten frees of the family but every single person, teenagers and all partook. Ill make it often and think I would love to try it as a soup as well. This xan definitely be played with. Like adding slivered almonds or pistachio s for crunch at serving time
Anonymous says
December 27, 2012 at 9:54 pmGreat, but one thing: cut the butternut squash really small or it definitely does not cook in the 10 mins. If you like bigger chunks, cook it a little first before adding it.
Anonymous says
January 8, 2013 at 11:34 pmare the olives green? calif black? greek black? greek green?
if i don't have any fresh cilantro, would dried work? or fresh parsley?
Kevin says
January 18, 2013 at 2:14 pmAnonymous: I use green pimento stuffed olives and fresh parsley would be better that the dried cilantro I think.
Anonymous says
April 18, 2013 at 10:49 pmI used fresh lemon in the recipe, 1/2 a lemon sliced, and find the dish bitter.Last time I cooked it was fine, next time I'll let it cook with the lemon, then remove it.
Any ideas to make it less bitter?
M.
kevin says
April 19, 2013 at 12:36 pmAnonymous: Preserved lemons do not have any of the sourness of fresh. If you want to omit the preserved lemons I would replace them with just lemon zest rather than lemon slices.
Mom/Barb says
March 15, 2016 at 1:43 amIs the harissa you used a dried spice or a paste? Thanks!!
kevin says
March 17, 2016 at 5:24 pmMom/Barb: I use a paste but the dried spice would also work.