Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives

Name: Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 medium onions, diced (about 3 cups); 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 small pinch saffron (optional); Fine sea salt and black pepper; 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stewing beef, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces; 3/4 cup vegetable or beef stock, or water, plus more if needed; 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped, plus more for serving; 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed; 2 to 3 tablespoons seeded and finely chopped preserved lemon (about 1/2 lemon), plus more to taste; 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, for serving; Bread, for serving

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Published Oct. 10, 2024

Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives — Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Total Time: 2¼ hours
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Rating: 5(679)
Comments: Read comments

This hearty tagine is a staple family meal in many Moroccan homes, cooked in the traditional m’qualli style with garlic, ground ginger and ground turmeric. The comforting, earthy flavors of the meat, spices and green beans create a satisfying dinner perfect for sharing or meal prepping. The cozy, fragrant stew is packed with pops of flavor from tangy preserved lemon and briny olives. The green beans are added towards the end when the meat is almost cooked. For a variation, consider substituting or adding peas and/or chopped carrots (see Tip).

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

3tablespoons olive oil
2medium onions, diced (about 3 cups)
3garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1teaspoon ground turmeric
1teaspoon ground ginger
1small pinch saffron (optional)
Fine sea salt and black pepper
2½pounds boneless beef chuck or other stewing beef, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾cup vegetable or beef stock, or water, plus more if needed
1cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped, plus more for serving
1½pounds green beans, trimmed
2 to 3tablespoons seeded and finely chopped preserved lemon (about ½ lemon), plus more to taste
½cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, for serving
Bread, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low. Add onions, garlic, turmeric, ginger, saffron (if using), ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 2
Add the beef, adjust heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
Step 3
Add stock (or water) and cilantro, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Step 4
Cover the pot, adjust heat to low and simmer for about 1½ hours, until the beef has partially softened (when pressed with a fork it should feel soft but not fall apart).
Step 5
Stir in the green beans and preserved lemon, adjust heat to high and bring to a boil. The green beans should be partially submerged in the liquid; add stock or water as needed. Turn down to low, cover and simmer until the green beans are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the beans cook evenly.
Step 6
Taste and add more preserved lemon or salt as necessary. Garnish with olives and more cilantro, and serve with bread.

Tip

If making a variation on this recipe using peas and carrots, add the carrots about the same time as the green beans, and add the peas when the other vegetables are tender, cooking them for a few minutes.

Ratings

5 out of 5

679 user ratings

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Comments

Rich8 months ago

Little help on a basic step here. Once I've done step 1, then step 2 add the meat, I can imagine the garlic and spices burning while the meat reaches browning. I would probably brown the meat first, then do the onions and spices, then add the meat back in and saute that around till the meat's coated.

Jason8 months ago

Perfect for a chilly autumn evening. Watch your water proportions. My onions and water made a great thick sauce during the first hour of simmering (I may have had the heat a little hotter than a simmer). It was actually a fortunate accident. Just added more stock/water of the last 30 minutes so that there was enough liquid for the beans. Made for a richer stew base. I did bump up the spices a bit - love full flavour! DO NOT SKIMP on your beef - make the meat the star!

RC8 months ago

Has anyone tried this in a crockpot? Wondering if that's an option rather than monitoring it on the stove...

Steve2 weeks ago

Unfortunately, the beef did not get there for us in the time allotted and possibly needed another hour or so.

Boulder Mark1 month ago

We did this with an instapot. Browned the meat in the pot with oil and spices. Low pressure for 20 minutes with a homemade broth for the braise. Pan roasted the veggies on the stove then added the meat and broth from the instapot to the stove pan. Made rice in the instant pot and served with the stew. Very good, but, it needed a little more sweet and sour. We should have included a couple of chopped apricots and a little bit of vinegar.

bb2 months ago

Not for me, flavors were OK but dish tasted like boiled beef and wasn't as tender as similar dishes that call for boneless beef chuck that you cook in the oven for 2.5-3 hours. Really wanted to like it due to different ingredients but it's a no.

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