Healthy Lamb Tagine
Tender chunks of lamb in a lightly spiced tomato and chickpea sauce for just 345 calories a serving. If you can't get hold of preserved lemons in a jar, add the grated zest of half a large lemon instead. Serve with couscous or rice.
Ingredients
- 800 g lean lamb leg steaks (or lean lamb meat)
- 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ras-el-hanout spice mix
- oil, for spraying or brushing
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 400 ml hot lamb stock (made with 1 lamb stock cube)
- 2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
- 4 tsp harissa paste
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 1 preserved lemon, drained and cut into thin strips
- 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 175 g green beans, cut in half (optional)
- flaked sea salt
- ground black pepper
- chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or coriander, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃/Fan 180℃/Gas 6. Trim any excess fat from the lamb, cut it into 3-4cm chunks and season all over with salt and pepper. Toss the lamb with the onions, garlic and ras-el-hanout in a bowl.
- Brush a large non-stick frying pan with the oil and fry the meat in 2 batches over a medium-high heat until lightly browned, turning every now and then. Tip the meat into a flameproof casserole and toss with the flour.
- Deglaze the frying pan with 150ml of the stock, stirring to lift any flavoursome bits, and pour it over the lamb. Add the rest of the stock, canned tomatoes, harissa, honey and lemon. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour or until the lamb is just tender. Remove from the oven and stir in the chickpeas and green beans. Cover and return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes or until the beans are tender.
Notes
Freeze the cooled tagine in labelled zip-seal bags or foil containers for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat thoroughly in a large, wide-based saucepan, stirring gently until piping hot.
Tip: If you don’t have ras-el-hanout, mix 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon instead.