Morocco | Main dish

Kefta Tagine

Name: Kefta Tagine
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Morocco, North Africa
Ingredients: 600 g ground beef or lamb; 1 small onion, grated; ¼ cup parsley and cilantro, chopped; 2 tsp paprika; 1½ tsp ground cumin; 5 medium tomatoes, grated; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp olive oil; 4 whole eggs; salt and pepper, to taste

Moroccan meatball tagine simmered in spiced tomato sauce and finished with eggs.

Country

Morocco

Region

North Africa

Time

70 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Morocco recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 4 plates

Main dish

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Morocco

4 steps 25 min prep 45 min cook (check method) 70 min total medium

Shape meatballs

Mix meat with onion, herbs, half the spices, salt, and pepper. Shape small meatballs.

shape 15:00

Cook sauce

Simmer tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, remaining spices, salt, and pepper until thick.

sauce 20:00

Simmer kefta

Add meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook until done.

meatballs 15:00

Set eggs

Crack eggs into the sauce, cover, and cook until whites set and yolks are still soft.

eggs 06:00

Some cooks add preserved lemon or olives, but the meatball, tomato, and egg version is the classic home base.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for family dinner, bread-scooping meals, and quick tagine nights.. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Khobz, salad, olives, or roasted vegetables.

Regional lane

Tagines and special mains. Slow-cooked, spiced, sweet-savory, and celebratory dishes that anchor the table.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the rest or fermentation period.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.

How you know it is ready

The bread or batter should smell pleasantly fermented, toasted, or nutty rather than floury.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Pantry lane

preserved lemon, green olives, saffron, ras el hanout, semolina

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Kefta Tagine recipe from Morocco — Kefta Tagine finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Kefta Tagine

Khobz, salad, olives, or roasted vegetables.

Best route from here

Tagines and special mains

Collections to keep cooking

Moroccan Salads, Soups, and Breads

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