Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives
Updated Dec. 4, 2025
- Total Time
- 2¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 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
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
321 calories; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 755 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
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!
Has anyone tried this in a crockpot? Wondering if that's an option rather than monitoring it on the stove...
Add a cinnamon stick for a truly Morrocan flavour.
Very tough beef after following review. Not doing this again
Here in Amsterdam I doubled all the spices and sometimes even more than that. Normally in a stew you would add wine or vinegar so that the beef would be more subtle. I also added an Arabic spice melange "BAHARAT" this really added to the whole deep tastyness of the dish. An olive filled baguette and wow!