What To Serve With Tagine: 20 BEST Sides!

Love Moroccan cuisine?

Planning your next authentic meal to serve up to family and friends?

If so, you might be on the lookout for ideas for what to serve with tagine.

From colourful salads to bitesized traditional pastries, I’ve created a roundup of the sides and accompaniments that will earn you some serious brownie points with your guests! 

What to serve with tagine

Some of the most tempting choices for what to serve with tagine include zaalouk, Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad, harira, and stuffed green olives with garlic infused olive oil.

Picking a variety of your favourite sides and serving them mezze style on colourful serving platters will create a meal to remember! 

Here are the perfect side dishes to serve with tagine…

1. Zaalouk (Moroccan aubergine salad)

Dishes featuring tomatoes and aubergine are very prevalent in cuisines of the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa.

They are made from local ingredients and spices, mixed to form cold and hot salads. 

Yes, the aubergine isn’t the prettiest veggie you’ll ever set your sights on, but it’s super flavourful! 

Moroccan aubergine salad is no exception – it doesn’t look the best, but the flavours and taste are undefeated.

It packs quite a punch. 

The cooked salad is made with tomatoes, aubergine, olive oil, garlic, and spices, and served as a side dish to many meals, including tagine.

The dish offers excellent nutrition value, especially when served with vegetable tagine. 

I found this zaalouk recipe easy to follow and execute. 

2. Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad

Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad is a feast for the senses with a mixture of bright colours, aromatic spices, and tasty flavours.

And the best thing about this gluten-free salad is that you don’t need exotic ingredients to prepare it.

You can easily achieve its delicious outcome with ingredients and spices readily available in your pantry.

This salad is ideal for people searching for something a little light but still filling. It’s made using chickpeas, grated carrots, arugula, quinoa, coriander, and roasted almonds, making it far from being bland. 

It’s best served with mutton tagine, chicken tagine, or any other tagine stew. 

3. Classic Moroccan tomato salad

As summer approaches, the days are getting brighter, and so should your dinner plans.

This classic Moroccan tomato salad is perfect for this time of the year, thanks to the availability of tasty and bright tomatoes during the season. 

Making this salad at home is very easy.

You only need cherry tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and parsley (or cilantro) – staple herbs featured in many Moroccan main dishes, entrees, and salads. 

Since the salad uses few ingredients, it can be hard to create something deliciously unique.

The trick, however, is to use high-quality tomatoes, veggies, and spices.

The salad is perfect when served with tagine because of its unique flavours and nutritional value.

4. Moroccan aubergine and chickpea salad

You are going to LOVE this one!

It’s not your everyday salad; instead, this Moroccan aubergine and chickpea salad is a hearty dish with amazing fresh Moroccan flavours.

We’ve already covered salads with aubergine and chickpea – now this combines the best of both into one bowl! 

This gluten-free, hot weather-friendly salad features an aubergine, garbanzo, olive oil, ground cumin, chickpeas, Zaatar, lemon juice, coriander, and purple onion. 

5. Moroccan harira

If you love a classic Moroccan soup but are health-conscious, then harira is perfect for you.

It’s suitable for vegetarians, and it features many vibrant and tasty ingredients, including turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin. 

The traditional harira is made with dry chickpeas, dried lentils, a potpourri of spices and herbs, meat, vegetables, and vermicelli noodles. 

Its nutritional value makes the soup perfect when served with a wide variety of meals, including tagine. 

6. Arugula salad with avocado and preserved lemon

This peppery salad is perfect for bringing a little sunshine to your day.

It features sensational salad flavors, creamy avocado, aromatic cumin, tangy, preserved lemon, and crisp cucumber, making it perfect for any meal. 

Arugula salad works particularly well when served alongside a lamb tagine.

Give it a try! 

Not sure what arugula is?

In the UK, it’s better known as rocket! 

7. Warm Moroccan cauliflower salad

This warm Moroccan cauliflower salad isn’t your average mayo based salad.

Instead, it’s a restaurant- and Thanksgiving-worthy salad with healthy pomegranate seeds and crunchy pine nuts, parsley, olive oil, onions, cauliflower, and mint. 

The salad is easy to make, taking only about 30 minutes to prepare and cook.

The resulting salad is satisfying, comforting and will keep you coming back for more.

And the best thing about this salad is that you can make it up to a few days ahead. 

Perfect for when you’re entertaining guests but you’re a little short on time! 

8. Stuffed green queen olives with garlic infused olive oil

If you want a gluten-free choice for what to serve with tagine, this stuffed green olive recipe should be your go-to.

The dish is fairly straightforward to prepare and cook and will take only 40 minutes. 

9. Tomato, cucumber, and coriander salad

This is perhaps the most basic and common salad in Moroccan cuisine.

The availability of the ingredients for this tomato, cucumber, and coriander salad makes it a perfect side salad for many different dishes.

It’s typically served next to tagines or grilled meats. 

The colourful and fresh salad brightens up your tagine or barbecue – no matter the weather.

It is healthy and refreshing, perfect for summer or sunny days.

You can customise the salad however you want to make it more appealing.

For instance, I add honey to the salad when the tomatoes aren’t naturally sweet enough. 

10. Moroccan turkey salad

One of the best salads to serve with your tagine – and for a good reason!

Moroccan turkey salad combines sweet, spicy, and savoury all into one dish.

A generous portion of turkey, plus carbohydrates in the form of torn up pitta breads, makes this dish a filling option in its own right.

It’s a great choice if you’re entertaining and want to give people a few choices, or if you just know that everyone will be extra hungry! 

11. Moroccan cheese briouats

These are small Moroccan pastries, or filo dough stuffed with various fillings (mainly cheese) and then fried in oil.

For the most part, this recipe is deep-fried, but you can also use an air fryer if you prefer.

For people who don’t like cheese, grated boiled eggs can be used as an alternative filling, or better yet, you could use a filling of your choice. 

For cheese lovers, you can use processed cheese and the seasonings of your liking.

You can also change the shapes and sizes of your briouats.

Then, serve them with your favourite tagine. 

12. Moroccan white beans (loubia)

If you still believe that beans are only bought in cans or that you can only bake them with brown sugar to taste good, you need to try the loubia.

This is a Moroccan side dish made using white beans and onion, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and spices. 

This dish caters to both your nutritional needs and taste buds.

And although you can eat loubia as a main dish, it can be used as a side dish to complex flavors like tagine.

I found this loubia recipe interesting and easy to follow. 

13. Morrocan flatbread

Khobz is a traditional Moroccan flatbread that’s just perfect for mopping up all those fragrant juices that are left at the bottom of the bowl. 

This authentic recipe for khobz is an absolute delight, though if you don’t have the time to make your own, you could substitute for pita breads or even a really good quality sourdough. 

14. Pilaf rice with dried fruit and nuts 

This fragrant pilau rice dish is full of the flavours of cinnamon, cumin, and cardamon, and studded with a wonderful variety of dried fruit and nuts. 

I like to use plenty of apricots when making this dish, and it adds such a wonderful sweetness. 

15. Lentils with cumin and coriander

Here’s a quick guide to making this delicious side:

1. Ingredients: You’ll need lentils (brown, green, or black varieties hold their shape well), ground cumin, ground coriander, olive oil or another cooking oil, onion, garlic, vegetable or chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves can be used for garnish.
2. Preparation: Rinse the lentils under cold water and check for any small stones or debris. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Cooking the Aromatics: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, ground cumin, and ground coriander, and cook for another minute until fragrant.
4. Adding the Lentils: Pour in the lentils and stir to coat them with the spice and onion mixture. Add the broth (the amount will depend on the type of lentils and the desired consistency; check the package for guidelines). Bring to a boil.
5. Simmering: Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let the lentils cook until they are tender. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes, but the exact time can vary depending on the type of lentils.
6. Seasoning: When the lentils are cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more cumin or coriander if desired.
7. Garnishing and Serving: Serve the lentils hot, garnished with fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves for a burst of colour and freshness.

16. Preserved lemons 

Preserved lemons are often found in jars in the international aisle of the supermarket, and it’s well worth picking some up if you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and trying new ingredients. 

They add a big punch of flavour to any meal, and the element of acidity can play a huge role in helping all the other parts of a dish to sing. 

Serve them with your tagine for an easy but delicious side. 

17. Natural yoghurt 

Whenever I’m serving food that’s spicy – whether fairly mild or with a real kick of heat – I make sure that I add a bowl of natural yoghurt to the middle of the table. 

It can help to cool things down for those that have more sensitive palettes, and of course it can add a wonderful creaminess when stirred through any kind of tagine dish. 

I like to choose a high quality Greek variety for the thickest, creamiest texture. 

18. Spiced apricots

Did you know that you can turn a can of apricots into a special side dish?

These spiced apricots require ingredients that you likely already have in your store cupboard, and they’re a fabulous accompaniment for a tagine. 

19. Moroccan lemon bundt cake

Fancy finishing off your tagine meal with something sweet? 

A slice of lemon bundt – also known as meskouta – is just the ticket! 

It takes just minutes to mix and is best served warm. 

You can add a lemon glaze if you like, or you can just enjoy it as it is. 

It’s light, zesty, and perfect after a hearty meal. 

20. Moroccan baklava 

Sweet Moroccan treats typically take much inspiration from French cuisine, so you can expect lots of pastry, spices, and fruit! 

Nothing encompasses this better, or more deliciously, than baklava. 

These light morsels are ideal for serving after a satisfying tagine. 

Choosing what to eat with tagine

These delicious sides are exactly what you need when it comes to what to serve with tagine. From light salads to Moroccan soups, and not forgetting those tempting pastries, they’re well worth spending a little extra time in the kitchen.