Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes Recipe
This beef tagine recipe is your ticket to authentic, mouthwatering Moroccan cuisine. Succulent beef and tender vegetables are slow-cooked to perfection with an all-star blend of aromatic herbs and spices. You’ve never had beef stew like this!
Boy, have I got a treat for you today! This easy-to-make beef tagine recipe is brimming over with some of the best flavors of North African Cuisine. Simple, quality ingredients are combined and slow-cooked to deliver a moist, tender, and sensationally spiced stew.
This crowd-pleasing tagine recipe is rich and savory with a mild level of spice. Luckily, customizing is simple. If you prefer it more or less spicy, feel free to adjust it to suit your needs.
Beef tagine is a slow-cooked stew, so you will want to plan your time wisely. However, don’t feel intimidated. While the dish will cook for about 1 ½ hours, it only requires about 15 minutes of prep work. You got this!
Table of Contents
For more authentic Moroccan recipes, check out my Moroccan Chicken Stew, Moroccan Meatballs, and this Moroccan Shakshuka.
- Beef – My top recommendations for cuts are top round steak, chuck roast, or eye or round.
- Ghee – I like to use either ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil for the best flavor, but you can use another oil like coconut or peanut oil if needed.
- Ginger – Adds earthy, aromatic, and spicy-sweet tones to the dish.
- Onion – I prefer the sweet pungency of yellow onions for beef tagine, but white or red onions will work just fine.
- Ras-el-Hanout – Spicy, floral, peppery, and earthy. Look in the spice aisle or try your hand at my DIY version.
- Peas – Fresh or frozen peas are both acceptable.
- Preserved Lemons – Bring a blast of salty, sweet, tangy, and tart flavor. Check out my recipe to make this classic Moroccan condiment at home.
Do I need a tagine to make this?
Don’t worry, though! You don’t have to have a tagine to make this beef tagine! A large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven will do. Just be sure you have a tight-fitting lid to keep the moisture in.
- Heat the Oil. Place a large soup pot, Dutch oven, or tagine over medium heat. Heat the ghee or oil, add the onions and ginger, and saute for a few minutes. They should both be soft and the onions translucent.
- Cook the Beef. Add the beef and sear it on all sides. Then, add the ras-el-hanout and enough water to cover the beef. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Chop the Vegetables. Peel both of the sweet potatoes. Chop one into larger 1-inch sized cubes and the other into smaller, ½ inch sized cubes. The smaller pieces will help thicken the sauce. Chop the preserved lemon and the tomatoes and set aside.
- Add the Sweet Potato. Toss the sweet potatoes into the pan with the beef. Stir well, return the lid, and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Add Other Veggies. Thoroughly mix in the chopped tomato and peas, cover once again, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Season & Serve. Finally, mix in the preserved lemon pieces and any other seasoning to suit your taste. Top with fresh cilantro and serve with yogurt and bread.
When spoken of as a food, like in this beef tagine recipe, the term is used to describe any number of traditional, slow-cooked, and aromatic stews from North Africa.
However, it also refers to the specialized vessel these dishes are prepared in! In this case, a tagine is a unique, 2-part vessel with a shallow, circular bottom and tight-fitting, cone or dome-shaped top. These cooking pots are the perfect shape for slow cooking and keep dishes like this tagine recipe moist, tender, and flavorful.
Tagines are traditionally made out of clay, but you can find modern versions made from ceramic or cast iron. They might be glazed or unglazed. If you are using a traditional clay tagine (without glaze), be sure to soak it in water for 30 minutes prior to cooking to prevent cracking.
Don’t worry, though! You don’t have to have a tagine to make this beef tagine! A large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven will do. Just be sure you have a tight-fitting lid to keep the moisture in.
Recipes like this tagine recipe are all about community! In Morocco, it is common for the entire family to eat communally, using either their hands or bread to scoop the stew right out of the pot.
Try this classic approach or check out a few of these ideas to round out your meal:
– Spoon over a grain like Pomegranate Couscous, Saffron Rice, or Egyptian Barley.
– Pair with Pita Bread, Zaatar Bread, or any bread of your choice.
– Add some freshness to your meal with this Chilled Carrot Salad or Lebanese Fattoush.
– Enjoy with other Moroccan favorites like these tasty Moroccan Couscous Cakes.
– Offer a variety of toppings like Preserved Lemons, Moroccan Harissa Paste, fresh herbs, yogurt, nuts, and even some dried fruit.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Alternatively, you can let the beef tagine cool completely, transfer it to freezer-safe bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. If you go this route, I recommend dividing it into smaller portions to make thaw 1-2 servings easier.
Once you are ready to dive in again, thaw any frozen leftovers in the fridge overnight. I find reheating on the stove with medium heat is the best method.
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Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes (Beef Stew)
Equipment
- Tagine or
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 lbs lean beef (See Note 1)
- 2 tsp ras-el-hanout
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 lb fresh or frozen peas
- 3 tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 preserved lemon chopped
Serving
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped fine
- Plain yogurt or Labneh
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, soup pot or tagine heat the ghee or oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and onion, cooking until soft and onion is translucent. Add the beef and sear on all sides.
- Stir in the ras-el-hanout and enough water to cover beef. Bring to a boil, turn heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 40 minutes.
- Peel and dice one of the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and cube the other into 1-inch. The smaller pieces will slightly break down and help thicken the sauce. Chop the tomatoes and preserved lemon, set aside.
- Add the sweet potato to the beef, stir through and cover. Cook another 20 minutes on low.
- Add the tomatoes and peas, stir through and cover. Cook another 10 minutes on low.
- Stir through the preserved lemon pieces and season to taste. Top with chopped cilantro before serving with yogurt and bread of choice.
Notes
- Chuck roast, top round steak or beef eye of round are good choices.
- A Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid can be used instead of a tagine for similar slow-cooking results.
- Recipe adapted from Ghilie Basan.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Big sweet potato fan so had to give this one a go. Quite surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Thanks for always giving new ideas or twists to shake up my dinner game.
So glad you enjoyed this one Steph!
I really enjoyed this but found the preserved lemon a little too much for me, still 4 out of 5 in my book! Next time I will use 1/2 a lemon.
Thanks for coming back to let me know. Thanks for trying this one Anna. 🙂