Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated Dec. 3, 2025

Beef Tagine With Green Beans and Olives
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
2¼ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Rating
5(982)
Comments
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This hearty tagine is a staple family meal in many Moroccan homes, cooked in the traditional m’qualli style with garlic, ground ginger and ground turmeric. The comforting, earthy flavors of the meat, spices and green beans create a satisfying dinner perfect for sharing or meal prepping. The cozy, fragrant stew is packed with pops of flavor from tangy preserved lemon and briny olives. The green beans are added towards the end when the meat is almost cooked. For a variation, consider substituting or adding peas or chopped carrots, or a combination (see Tip).

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Add the beef, adjust heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is lightly browned, about 7 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add stock (or water) and cilantro, and bring to a boil over high heat.

  4. 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).

  5. 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.

  6. Step 6

    Taste and add more preserved lemon or salt as necessary. Garnish with olives and more cilantro, and serve with bread.

Tip
  • 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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
982 user ratings
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Comments

Rich

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.

Jason

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!

RC

Has anyone tried this in a crockpot? Wondering if that's an option rather than monitoring it on the stove...

Y. Bendinger

Gosh that was delicious, we literally just finished eating. I did not deviate from the recipe, we used Kalamata olives but I think lightly sour green ones (the one that come with a slice of lemon inside) would have been fine. I would not replace the green beans with any other vegetable in this dish. They are perfect; I used regular green been variety (vs. the thinner haricot vert's). I would also not replace the bread with any other starch. Loved it! Definitely a keeper

Roberto

Anh. All ingredients point to a delicious outcome, but while it was good, it was not exceptional. Flavors did not really pop.

Liz

I halved this and made it with boneless lamb stew meat, which turned out delicious and tender but resulted in an extremely fatty broth. If you use lamb, I recommend making this dish sufficiently in advance that you have time to chill the dish so the excess fat rises to the top and can be easily removed. I chilled the liquid and solids separately so the fat could solidify into a solid sheet. After removing the fat sheet, pour the juice back in with the rest of the tagine, heat, and serve.

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