Kefta Tagine

Name: Kefta Tagine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 500g ground beef; 1 onion, grated; 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 400g canned crushed tomatoes; 4 eggs; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp olive oil; Salt and pepper; Fresh cilantro for garnish

طاجين كفتة (KEF-tah tah-JEEN)

Spiced Meatball Tagine with Eggs

⏱ Prep Time 45 min

📈 Difficulty Medium

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 436 kcal

Spiced beef kefta meatballs simmered in a cumin-laced tomato sauce with eggs poached directly in the bubbling, aromatic stew.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 32.0g

Carbs 14.0g

Fat 28.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ eggs

Equipment Needed

tagine pot or skillet with lid mixing bowl wooden spoon

Presentation Guide

Vessel: traditional tagine

Garnishes: fresh cilantro, olive oil drizzle

Accompaniments: khobz bread, olives

Ingredients

500g ground beef
1 onion, grated
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
400g canned crushed tomatoes
4 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1
Mix ground beef with half the grated onion, parsley, cumin, half the paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper thoroughly.
2
Form the mixture into small walnut-sized meatballs, about twenty-four total. Set them aside on a tray briefly.
3
Heat olive oil in tagine, cook remaining onion and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes, remaining paprika, and simmer ten minutes.
4
Nestle meatballs into the simmering sauce in a single layer. Cover and cook twenty minutes until meatballs are done.
5
Create four wells in the sauce between meatballs. Crack one egg into each well, cover and cook five more minutes.
6
Eggs should be set with runny yolks. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with plenty of crusty warm bread.

💡

Did You Know?

Kefta tagine is often called the Moroccan answer to shakshuka, though Moroccans insist their version predates and surpasses it.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

tagine pot or skillet with lid
mixing bowl
wooden spoon

Garnishing

fresh cilantro, olive oil drizzle

Accompaniments

khobz bread, olives

The Story Behind Kefta Tagine

The tagine has its roots in Berber nomadic cooking, dating back over a thousand years. The portable clay cooking vessel was ideal for nomadic life, functioning as a portable oven that could be moved easily. One of the earliest references to food prepared in a similar vessel appears in The Thousand and One Nights, portions of which date to the 9th century. Arab migration in the 7th century introduced spices that transformed the basic Berber stew into the complex dish known today. Subsequent influences from Andalusian refugees, Ottoman traders, and French colonizers each left their mark on the tagine tradition.

The tagine is the heart and soul of Moroccan home cooking, representing the country's philosophy of slow, patient cooking that transforms simple ingredients into complex, layered flavors. The clay pot design is ingenious: the conical lid traps steam and returns it to the stew, requiring minimal water, a critical advantage in North Africa's arid climate. Every Moroccan household has its own tagine pot, and a bride traditionally receives one as part of her wedding gifts. The dish embodies the Moroccan talent for balancing sweet and savory, a legacy of Andalusian and Arab influence.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed the main meal of the day, typically lunch, which is the most important meal in moroccan culture 📜 Origins: 9th century

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