Moroccan-Spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew

I added one quartered zucchini and found this to be delicious recipe!!

Really good and easy. We eat it almost weekly. Reminds me of a vegetarian chili.

This was an absolutely delicious dish which I will make again for sure!
I read through a few of the reviews and am thankful that I did, because it was suggested to use less Harissa paste if it is from Trader Joe’s. I used only two and a half teaspoons and it was still a bit spicy for the others eating with me. For me, it was fine, but TJ’s is VERY spice, so definitely use less than two tablespoons!
I followed everything else exactly, except that my canned tomatoes were simply San Marzano, not fire roasted, and as one who cooks Greek vegetarian food a lot, I used a quarter cup of Extra Virgin olive oil to saute the onions instead of only two tablespoons. I found out a long time ago from living a few years in Athens, and after getting over my fear that I might gain weight from it (you don’t), that this amount of oil in vegetarian dishes is what makes Greek food so extra tasty.
I made couscous instead of rice, as I felt that made it more authentic, and it pairs really nicely.
Thanks so much for this wonderfully perfect recipe!

This was delicious! Stirred in some spinach to add some greens and it was so good. Thanks for the recipe!

This was really good! I made it with red lentils instead of chickpeas and didn’t use harissa paste so my toddler could eat. But we added red pepper flakes to our bowls for a nice spicy touch. It was delicious! We all loved it! Excited for leftovers today ?

As soon as I saw this on the MB Instagram, I knew I had to try it as I already had most of the ingredients on hand. What a hearty and delicious meal! I subbed chili garlic sauce for the harissa and added a half teaspoon more of maple and it was amazing. The paprika really puts it over the top. I so appreciate all the time and effort that goes into crafting these recipes. This is one of the few food blogs where I know that every meal is going to come out flavorful and delicious.

I picked a up an eggplant at the store but was not really sure what I was going to prepare with it this weekend. We had a snow day today and I wasn’t going to the store looking for different ingredients to make dinner. I had to work with what I had at home.

This recipe was great as I had most of the other ingredients in the house or I was able to easily substitute from my panty. Instead of maple syrup, I used silan (date paste.) I did not have fresh cilantro, so I added 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro when I was adding the cumin and smoked paprika. (The smoked paprika added so much to this dish. I think it is my new favorite spice!) Instead of vegetable broth I used water. I was making this for kids so used a mild harissa instead of a spicy one.

Served over rice.

Absolutely delicious. Will make this again. I’m looking forward to trying out more recipes from your site.

I have been ardently following your recipes for quite some time now. This is (I think) my first ever public comment on a website like this, but I think your labor is deserving of it. I am posting here because this is probably the dish that I cook the most. I prepare this when I have guests over for house gatherings, and usually serve with baked pasta and wine.

Baking the eggplant beforehand makes such a difference, I don’t know why I don’t do that more often. I have not tried making my own harissa paste at home yet, so I usually sub tj’s paste (although, it is pretty spicy, so I would suggest others to beware of how much they put in!) So far I have done without the sweetener (maple syrup/coconut sugar), but I might try it next time!

Sooooo good!

This dish is amazing!!! It is super easy and flavorful. I added extra eggplant and harissa and served it over cous cous. I will definitely be making it again.

This is the first time I have successfully roasted eggplant. Thank you so much. This stew recipe was delicious. I didn’t have harissa nor know out to make it so I skipped it. Have bought harissa will use next time since I like spicy foods. I think it will be even better with the harissa added.

I love this recipe! Confession, I did use a few drops of liquid smoke that I had in the pantry. Kind of cheating but gave it a great flavor. We were also out of rice so I used freekah, that paired nicely.

Just made it for the first time… Added some left over coconut milk instead of water and some vegetarian sausages… Its so tasty!

Made this last night for the first time & we both loved the flavors! Used sriracha because that’s what I had & honey instead of maple syrup-delicious!!! My husband can’t wait to have leftovers tonite?

This has become one of my go-to recipes! To make it a filling meal I turn it into a shakshuka by cracking a few eggs during the last few minutes of cooking. Soooooo good! I love Minimalist Baker, thanks for teaching me how to (sorta) cook!!!

So easy to make & so delicious and savory! Paired it with basmati rice and yogurt with cucumber. Definitely making again

This is my third time making this amazing meal and nothing I have made as a vegan or pre-vegan can top the flavors. Your books and blog have made the transition to vegan so simple and yummy. I recommend you guys as the top vegan tool to everyone I meet. Keep up the amazing work in the kitchen and thank you so much for sharing your food with all of us. Once I didn’t have enough eggplant and substitute some for zucchini and it was just as rich.

This was yummy!!! I’ve added chopped preserved lemon and served with saffron rice, and cucumber salad :-). Thanks.

Okay, i SUCK at cooking. Im like the worst ever, but i gave this a shot and also made vegan collard greens and the 2 together were pure heaven in my mouth. Literally best best, most flavorful dish. I couldnt find harassa paste, trader joes was out, so i used chili paste (Asian section) and it was a good alternative. Please more “stew” typed recipes for cooking challenged people such as myself! Thanks so much!!

This has become one of our favies! So quick and easy and sooooooo tasty. Sometimes I add mushrooms just because I love them. Love it!

I made this tonight. I didn’t have smoked paprika and just had regular diced tomatoes, so I added a little extra cumin plus a few drops of liquid smoke. Fantastic! Will probably add another eggplant next time, and will invest in smoked paprika.

First time I have left a comment regarding ANY recipe on any site. Been vegan 6 months, looking for something new to do with 2 medium eggplant. This is wonderful, great depth of flavors. Did not have harissa, so I substituted Thai curry paste. Will serve tonight over rice. Will make regularly….

C’est la troisième fois que je fais la recette, c’est excellent !! J’y ajoute des courgettes. J’en ai assez pour la semaine, super « meal prep » !
Mais
Grand grand merci Ella
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I’m not sure I’ve ever commented on a recipe before, but I had to with this one!

I love eggplant and was looking for something different to do with it besides the usual. This grabbed my attention because tomatoes and chickpeas are 2 of my favorite foods. I made it almost exactly to the specifications (added less cumin because it’s too strong for me) and IT IS SO GOOD. So so so so good.

It’s rich and just smoky enough without being overpowering. It’s just so good.

Next time I think I’ll add a little more chili paste and more chickpeas. I also added Feta cheese to the leftovers.

I’m in love. Thank you for this recipe!!

I never comment but – I’ve made this recipe three times in the past month and a half. Only adjustment- just one tablespoon of harissa because two was too much for this spice wimp. I also prob add a little more eggplant because I love eggplant. By the way – if you live near a trader joe’s they have harrisa and fire roasted tomatoes.

If anyone meal preps- I eat this with a hard boiled egg for breakfast; for lunch over quinoa or rice layered with arugula , dinner with chicken breasts and rice again. It has a use for every meal. Any way just my two cents. I love This recipe. Thank you!!

Some of the best dishes are made with the simplest of ingredients and preparation techniques; this is one of those dishes. I’ve made this twice now and both times the result has been excellent.

First attempt:
We had run out of our usual brand of sweet smoked paprika and had bought a well known brand (we will never buy it again) that was simply labelled as “smoked paprika” because we couldn’t find the one we liked. It was very bitter in all of the dishes I had previously prepared with it but I decided to use it anyway. When roasting the eggplant I put it into the oven and then forgot about it until it was completely dried out to the point of being like paper. I used it anyway because apart from being super dry it wasn’t burnt, and I didn’t have time to go buy more and then roast it.
I couldn’t find our harissa paste so I used the same amount of siracha instead.
At this point I was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst, but the the result was delicious. It was very slightly bitter (an expected outcome because of of the paprika I used), but the eggplant rehydrated and didn’t seem to be any the worse for wear.

Second attempt:
We liked the first attempt so much that I made it again a couple of weeks later when I finally tracked down our favorite brand of sweet smoked paprika. This time the eggplant was roasted properly and was moist and tender. My wife insisted that we have harissa paste but I still couldn’t find it so once again siracha came to the rescue. We had a ton of spinach that needed to be eaten so I steamed it and sprinkled it on top. Result: Perfect.

Both times I served it over couscous. My daughter loved it with chopped avocado on top (so did I to be honest); it’s simple to make, delicious and nutritious. What’s not to love? Next time I’ll make sure to have harissa paste on hand but whatever the outcome this is going to be a regular dish in our house.

Probably the best eggplant dish I have ever prepared!

This was delicious! Came together quickly and I found the spice proportions perfect to keep flavour without overwhelming the veggies . Most eggplant recipes soak up tons of oil like sponges so I love that they’re roasted in this one . I also used regular tomatoes and it tasted delicious regardless . Will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation.

This was amazing – I couldn’t stop eating it….. I’m not vegan so had mine with a dollop of soured cream – delicious! X

I also added mushrooms to this (just added them in the same step of pouring in the fire-roasted tomatoes and it was great!). I accidentally picked up the cans of fire roasted tomatoes WITH chiles so it had some extra spice, but it turned out good! Mine was certainly more watery than in the photo – maybe it will solidify a bit more overnight but I may cook it longer next time to let it reduce more.
Yum!

This is absolutely delicious! I used a whole can of chickpeas (rather than just a cup) and also added about 1/2 Tbsp coriander because I love it and 1 Tbsp lemon juice stirred in with the tomatoes. This is definitely going into my regular recipe rotation.

I made this over the weekend for my weekday lunches and it’s sooooo good! I really really like this.

Made this last night for a family get together. Everyone commented on how tasty it was. Great depth of flavour to the dish. Will definitely make again

This was AMAZING! I couldn’t find Harissa paste in Ontario, so used PC Harissa spice blend (Fortinos) and added water. It is very spicy so add in small amount first. We love the heat so went for it. Perfect on a frigid day! Served over basmati rice and topped with cilantro. Thank you for this awesome recipe! Probably my favourite plant-based meal so far.

This has so much flavor! This will definitely be added into the dinner rotation. Thank you for another great recipe.

This was fantastic! Perfect comfort food for a cold night. I roasted the eggplant the day before to cut down on the prep time and it was ready in about 30 minutes. I also added spinach because why not :)

Delicious! I’d probably add some mushrooms next time for some extra substance

This recipe was fantastic. It was a crowd pleaser. The process takes some time but it is well worth it. I added the chickpeas and substituted the rice for quinoa and chili garlic paste for the harissa. Super tasty, bold flavour and worth the effort.

This recipe was very tasty. I almost didn’t try it but I’m glad I did. I didn’t use the exact spices just because I didn’t have them, but it came out great

Made this recipe tonight and it was excellent!! Added a full can of chickpeas because I really like them and used water + harissa powder to make a paste which worked great. Will definitely be making this again in the future! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes!

This recipe is simple, with no fancy ingredients, and comes together to form an incredibly flavorful and delicious dish. Thanks so much for your recipes!

I didn’t use harissa paste because I couldn’t find any. So, I used Grama’s Sweet Chili Sauce that you can get at Sprouts or Whole Foods, and I thought this was so good! My husband is not a fan of hot spice as in he goes to a Thai restaurant and orders zero spice on a scale of 1-5. He also loved the dish. I added the chickpeas and served it over brown jasmine rice made with coconut butter.

Excellent recipe as usual Dana! I used tri-colored quinoa to accompany the stew, lemon and cilantro. Oh, I cannot wait to indulge in another bowl, perhaps tonight!

On a side note, I didn’t think I had Harissa paste/powder the recipe called for, so I used your Schwarma spice blend (1.5 Tbsp.), and ran out of that so I added a half Tbsp of Garam Masala and then found Harissa afterall, so I used a generous sprinkle of it. I used all three spices and it still turned out wonderful! :D

This may just be one of my favorite foods ever! I did not use cilantro (not a fan) but did everything else as written. Maybe I used a bit more eggplant. I made it over rice and it was amazing, but over noodles, it is PERFECTION! My husband (omnivore) proclaimed it the only way he actually likes chickpeas. I even used some homemade chickpeas that I had hanging around in the freezer for a while. It comes together a lot faster than I expected. I ended up leaving it on low on the stove for about 30 minutes but I think that just helped to intensify the flavors.

Girl i know this isn’t a new recipe but you killed it once again thank you so much ?

Easy to follow and very tasty! Thank you!

I made this dish exactly as per the recipe. Absolutely delicious. It has some heat which I love. Please keep more of these international dishes coming!

Just made this tonight and it was so rich and yummy! Super easy to make too :)

Yummy!!! Came out so good and so tasty. The aroma was heavenly.
Thank You

I made this twice and it was absolutely delicious, and so easy to make, which is always a plus. My boyfriend loved this recipe and asked me to make it again. I didn’t have harissa paste so I just skipped the step and added a bit of chili flakes. Thanks for always sharing awesome recipes!

Made it tonight. A big hit with my husband and son!

I made this tonight, and as a vegetarian I can say this will be one of my standard recipes. Absolutely delicious and presented beautifully with a side of naan bread. Thank you for your recipes.

Oh! I also threw in a bag of baby spinach.

I added some sautéed leftover mushrooms. Also… I roasted garlic and onions in with the eggplant. It’s cooking now and smells amazing!!

Made this today & both hubby and I LOVED IT!!! Based on personal preferences and pantry content, we…
… omitted garlic & used chilli flakes instead of harissa.
… served it on coconut rice as suggested by another commenter – brilliant idea!
… topped it off with chopped dried dates and cashews just because :).
Perfect winter dish, thanks!

Wow. I’ve tried other recipes & never liked it but this is awesome?

Made this last week. I couldn’t find any fire tomatoes, so used regular tinned chopped tomatoes and added a teaspoon of curry powder. Other than that, I stuck to the recipe and it was delicious!!! I was surprised at how much my 2cm x 2cm eggplant cubes shrank when cooked, so would definitely go for larger cubes next time (for any newcomers like me to roasting cubed eggplant!!!).

Superb recipe, fantastic site, thanks a lot!!!

I’m not usually an eggplant fan, but this was terrific and has been great for lunch this week. I used regular paprika instead of smoked (it’s what I had on hand) but I did use some smoked sea salt I found in the pantry to try to give it that kick. I thought needed a tiny bit more salt, but otherwise, the recipe is wonderful and I’ll be making it again (possibly with different or additional vegetables to change it up) soon.

This was my first time trying eggplant and I enjoyed it in this dish. I made the recipe as is, substituting with chili garlic sauce as that’s what we had on hand. In my opinion the 1 tbsp of cumin and smoked paprika is a lot. I’d reccomed starting with less (maybe even halving it) you can always add more. I may also cut the chili garlic sauce in half next time. Basically it’s really good, and has a ton of flavor, but I just wish I started with less spices and add more if I felt it was necessary. I’d still totally recommend trying this dish!

Amazing! And it inspired me to also learn how to make my own fire roasted tomatoes.

I loved this! Lots of flavour. I made it for 6 servings and used 2 cans of fire roasted and 1 regular diced tomatoes and it turned out great. I used a mix of smoked and Hot Hungarian paprika too. Served it over an ancient grains rice mix and it was filling and yummy!

Made this tonight and we were blown away by how flavorful it was!! I added the whole can of chick peas, rather then one cup, as I didn’t want to waste them….other then that we followed the exact recipe!

Made this recipe tonight and I loved that even though it was a simple recipe, the flavors were delicious and complex! I followed everything in the recipe except I added sambal oleek instead of harissa. Definitely recommend topping with cilantro at the end.

Thanks for such a great recipe! I love your site :)

Just made this. It’s delicious! Had to stew the aubergine a bit longer as was still quite tough. Will definitely make again. Added a bit of liquid smoke as only had normal tomatoes. Thank you x

So yummy and it had quite the kick! (I did the chili garlic sub for harissa paste.) I also halved the amount of added water and added some mushrooms just because. I bet this would go so well with some coconut rice. Definitely a keeper!

Excellent dish. Made this exactly as written except didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes so used “Mutti ‘mai vista una pulpa così’ brand”. I’m not a fan of smoked paprika but this was so good.

***So good!***
I used silan instead of maple syrup

I made this & it was delicious! Can’t wait to have leftovers tonight :) as suggested I used extra smoked paprika as I can’t get fire roasted tomatoes. Thanks for all the great recipes & inspiration!

Yum! Made this tonight and husband and I both thought it was delicious. I made only a few minor modifications: I peeled the eggplant because I don’t like the skin, and accidentally left out the vegetable broth and maple syrup because I wasn’t paying enough attention, haha. They weren’t missed! We ate it over a rice and quinoa blend. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

I made this and it came out beautifully! Added a touch more maple and water so it would be less acidic and creamier. My mother made a similar version growing up at home and I think I prefer this one with the roasted eggplant! Thank you <3

I made this tonight. I used 3/4 of amount of harissa and it was plenty of spice for us. Glad I didn’t use full amount. I roasted eggplant in the morning so dinner prep came together fairly quickly. We all enjoyed it and we were glad it wasn’t spicier. We seemed it over a brown short grain rice and with a simple lake salad. A definite keeper.

Came out beautifully with diced tomatoes, regular paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes instead of harissa and chickpeas. My husband thinks it’s one of the best dishes I’ve made since we went plant based a year ago. Thanks!

Delicious–I think my harissa paste is particularly spicy because this blew my mouth off. But in a good way. I also did not have fire roasted tomatoes but the smoked paprika added all the smokiness that was needed. The lemon at the end really pops the flavors, don’t leave it out. Will definitely make again because I love a good way to use an eggplant!

Came out so wonderful…served over quinoa…delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Was perfect for a wet, rainy day…looking forward to the leftovers!

Made this tonight and it was soooo yum! Thank you for constantly inspiring me to cook – your blog is my go-to always!

Oh boy! Just made this dish and it smells amazing! My eggplant stuck to the pan since I have no parchment paper but its all good! Great over rice

Made this last evening and it was easy (a must these days) and delicious (a bonus). Pretty much followed the recipe to a T, but didn’t have harissa on hand, so I chose to add a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes instead. :)

Made this last night and it was EXCELLENT! Love how a lot of the thickness comes from sautéed onions. Very hearty. Made a few changes in mine that worked:

Roasted eggplant in half the time… not sure if this was because of the breville oven I used on roast setting or what, but they cooked pretty fast. 2 batches.
Added broccoli around the same time as the eggplant.
No beans.
Chili garlic used.
Used spicy olive oil for half the recommended oil for a bit more kick.
Red onion, cuz I prefer it and it’s all I had.

Thanks for another great recipe!

I’ve made this twice now! It’s a great meal! My husband LOVES it! I prepared the eggplant in the morning before work and then it’s ready when I get home for a pretty quick week day meal! It’s fantastic!

amazing thank you xx

i tried deep-frying the eggplant in coconut oil on medium-high. turned out great. thanks.

I used normal can of tomatoes and served it on top of couscous and it was delicious!!! Thanks for the lovely recipe!

Came out great