Sweet potato tagine with figs and walnuts

This vegetarian tagine recipe was born from a desire to cook autumn vegetables in a different way. I wanted to move away from classic preparations and create a dish that evokes the flavors of the Maghreb while respecting our seasonal produce.

The marriage of sweet potatoes and the tartness of fresh figs creates a perfect balance. Walnuts provide the essential crunch that structures each bite. Mild spices—cinnamon, ginger, and cumin—envelop everything without masking the authentic flavor of the vegetables.

This dish is delicious on its own, but you can serve it with couscous or quinoa, depending on your preference. It reheats very well the next day, and the flavors will only be more pronounced.

You can adapt this recipe to your liking: replace the figs with dried apricots or add some currants for an even sweeter touch. This is exactly the kind of cooking I love: simple, generous, and full of surprises.

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Sweet potato tagine with figs and walnuts

Recipe by Nathalie Laplace

0.0 out of 0 votes

Type of dish: main courseKitchen: FrenchDifficulty: average

Portions

4

portions

Preparation time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A hearty autumn dish that combines the sweetness of sweet potatoes with fresh figs and crunchy walnuts. A fragrant recipe with mild spices that warms up autumn evenings.

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Ingredients

• 800g sweet potatoes

• 6 fresh figs

• 80 g of walnut kernels

• 2 onions

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 400 ml of vegetable stock

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

• 1 bouquet of fresh coriander

• Salt, freshly ground pepper

Preparation steps

• Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 3cm cubes. Finely slice the onions and mince the garlic.
• Wash the figs and cut them into quarters. Roughly chop the walnut kernels.
• Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until translucent.
• Add the garlic, cinnamon, ginger and cumin. Mix for 1 minute until the spices become fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato cubes and mix well to coat them with the spices. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.
• Add the fig wedges and chopped walnuts. Continue cooking for 5 minutes uncovered.
• Sprinkle with chopped coriander just before serving in warm, deep plates.

📊 Nutritional Information

1 serving (approx. 280g)

📝 Notes

This dish can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days and can even be frozen. Defrost slowly in the refrigerator before gently reheating over low heat.

💡 Chef's Tips

Choose figs that are ripe but still firm so they don't fall apart during cooking. If you can't find any, replace them with pitted prunes cut in half.

🔄 Variations

• Protein version: add 200g of cooked chickpeas at the same time as the figs
• For a spicier version: add a pinch of cayenne pepper along with the other spices

Nathalie Laplace

Food writer for the Simple & Bon website. Passionate about healthy cooking and especially salads, slow-cooked or oven-baked recipes.