Sheet tray veggie and bean ‘tagine’

The inspiration for this recipe comes from two North African stews: tagine and loubia. Tagine is a sweet and savory medley of meat and/or veggies, and often nuts, dried fruit, and olives. Traditionally it’s slow-cooked in an earthenware pot, also called a tagine. Loubia is a vegetarian dish made with white beans that get simmered low and slow in a rich cinnamon-and-ginger-spiced tomato sauce.

We’ve always got a can of cannellini in the pantry and some cherry tomatoes on the counter, so we decided to combine these two dishes with couscous and a pre-made batch of frozen chermoula—a spicy, herbaceous North African relish similar to chimichurri—to get all that slow-simmered flavor from freezer to sheet pan to table in about 30 minutes.

Around here, we believe the secret to making veggies disappear comes down to sauce. Which is why last year we started building a library of make-ahead sauces and designed each one to portion perfectly into an ice cube tray, so you’ll always have a flavor weapon at the ready.

As for the couscous, it cooks up way faster than rice, and we always seem to make more than we need. Luckily, it freezes well and is superfine so it thaws quickly when you toss it in a pan. (The dish works great with fresh couscous, too.) Roasting white beans is also a bit of a deviation from the norm, but a welcome one. It gives them more texture and a nice bite: crisp on the outside, and creamy and tender on the inside. If you have chickpeas, great northern, butter or lima beans, they’ll work too.

Sheet Tray Veggie and Bean ‘Tagine’

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• Chermoula Cubes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon harissa paste
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tablespoons chopped, preserved lemon)
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems (packed)
  • 1 cup parsley leaves and stems (packed)
  • ½ cup mint leaves (packed)
• Tagine
  • 2 large carrots, thickly sliced  
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 
  • 1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and dried 
  • ½ cup large green olives, pitted and smashed 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper 
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • 4 cups frozen couscous
  • ½ cup diced apricots or dates
  • 6 chermoula cubes
  • For serving: Preserved lemon (optional); sliced almonds; chopped, fresh herbs (like cilantro, mint, or parsley)

Procedure:

1. Prepare the chermoula cubes and couscous anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before you’re planning to cook. 
   1. To make the sauce cubes: Lightly crush the cumin seeds with the bottom of a heavy skillet or blitz them in a spice grinder. Add the toasted cumin, oil, harissa, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, garlic, and lemon juice and zest to a food processor and purée until the spices are ground and the mixture is smooth. Add the herbs and pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Portion into an ice-cube tray and freeze until solid.
   2. To put couscous on ice: Spread cooked, cooled couscous on a lined sheet tray and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. 
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
3. In a large bowl, toss carrot, onion, tomatoes, sweet potato, beans, and olives with olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Remove the vegetables from the oven and scatter the couscous and apricots on top. Top with chermoula cubes. Return the pan to the oven and cook until couscous is warm and sauce cubes have melted, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway. 
5. Remove the pan from the oven and give it one more good stir to distribute the sauce over the couscous and vegetables. Stir in the preserved lemon, if using. Top with sliced almonds and herbs. 

Notes and Substitutions: 

• Frozen couscous will keep for 3 to 4 months.
• If making this with fresh chermoula, you can just drizzle about ½ cup more sauce on the finished dish before garnishing. 
• If using fresh couscous, no need to add it to the oven. Just spoon into bowls and top with the veggies and beans.
• The recipe for chermoula makes 15 cubes if you’re using a common 1.25-inch tray like this one. Your actual yield will vary a bit depending on your tray of choice. Use extra as a sauce for roast veggies, stirred into brothy beans or soups, or mixed with yogurt into a dipping sauce.