Main Course Recipes
Hearty Moroccan main courses including tagines, couscous, and slow-cooked dishes from Meknas.
31 recipes — every one cooked at least 3 times in Meknas.
How to use these main course recipes
Start with Key Takeaways on each recipe for timing and yield, follow Ingredients with gram + cup measures, then check Troubleshooting before you start. All main course dishes are developed and photographed by Azmi Mhamed — no stock, no AI food images. See our testing process.
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons & Olives
A classic Moroccan tagine featuring tender chicken braised with preserved lemons, green olives, and fragrant spices. This is the most iconic dish of Moroccan cuisine.
Lamb Tagine with Prunes & Almonds
A sweet and savory Moroccan tagine combining tender lamb with caramelized prunes, toasted almonds, and warm spices. A festive dish served at celebrations.
Kefta Tagine with Eggs
Spiced meatballs (kefta) simmered in a rich tomato sauce with eggs cracked on top. A beloved Moroccan comfort food.
Fish Tagine with Chermoula
Fresh fish marinated in chermoula — a vibrant Moroccan herb and spice paste — then baked in a tagine with tomatoes and peppers.
Vegetable Tagine (Vegan Moroccan Stew)
A hearty and fragrant vegetable tagine loaded with chickpeas, root vegetables, apricots, and warming spices. Completely plant-based.
Pastilla (B'stilla) - Sweet & Savory Pie
A show-stopping Moroccan pie with layers of flaky warqa pastry, spiced pigeon or chicken, eggs, and a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Couscous with Seven Vegetables
The traditional Friday couscous of Morocco — fluffy steamed semolina topped with a rich vegetable and lamb stew. Seven vegetables symbolize prosperity.
Tanjia Marrakchia - Slow-Cooked Meat
A specialty of Marrakech, tanjia is meat slow-cooked for hours in an earthenware urn at the hammam. Tender, smoky, and unforgettable.
Rfissa - Shredded Msemen with Chicken
A festive Moroccan dish of shredded msemen flatbread soaked in a spiced lentil sauce, topped with tender chicken. Traditionally served to new mothers.
Tagine Mqualli - Chicken with Saffron & Ginger
A refined and elegant tagine with chicken braised in a golden saffron-ginger sauce, topped with caramelized onions and raisins.
Mechoui - Whole Roasted Lamb
The centerpiece of Moroccan celebrations — a whole lamb slow-roasted until the meat falls off the bone. Traditionally cooked in a underground pit.
Homemade Merguez Sausage
Spicy, lamb-based Moroccan sausages seasoned with harissa, cumin, and fennel. Grill them, fry them, or add to couscous.
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burger
Juicy lamb patties seasoned with cumin, coriander, and harissa, topped with zaalouk and fresh herbs. A Meknas street food classic.
Chicken Couscous with Seven Spices
Fragrant chicken thighs braised with vegetables and served over fluffy couscous. The ultimate one-bowl Moroccan comfort meal.
Moroccan Chickpea Stew (Loubia)
A hearty, protein-packed stew of chickpeas in a rich tomato and onion sauce with cumin and paprika. Simple and deeply satisfying.
Kefta Brochettes - Grilled Spiced Meat Skewers
Juicy, cumin-spiced lamb or beef kebabs grilled over charcoal. The quintessential Moroccan street food.
Moroccan Lentil Stew with Vegetables
A thick, warming stew of brown lentils with carrots, celery, and aromatic spices. Perfect for cold Meknas evenings.
Sweet Potato Tagine with Raisins & Almonds
A vegetarian tagine of tender sweet potatoes, caramelized raisins, and toasted almonds in a cinnamon-scented sauce.
Baked Fish with Chermoula & Vegetables
Whole fish baked with chermoula marinade, tomatoes, potatoes, and olives. A complete one-pan Moroccan dinner.
Lamb Kofta Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Tender, spiced lamb meatballs simmered in a fragrant tomato sauce. A weeknight favorite that comes together in 30 minutes.
Msemen Farci - Stuffed Msemen with Kefta
Crispy msemen flatbread stuffed with spiced ground meat and onions. A popular Moroccan street food that combines two classics into one.
Tangia Meknassia - Meknas-Style Slow-Cooked Lamb
The signature dish of Meknas — lamb slow-cooked in a clay urn with smen, cumin, and preserved lemons. Richer and more complex than Marrakech's tanjia.
Fish Tangia - Essaouira-Style Seafood Stew
A fragrant seafood stew from the coastal city of Essaouira — white fish, shrimp, and octopus slow-cooked with chermoula and tomatoes.
Mhajeb - Stuffed Moroccan Crepes
Thin semolina crepes stuffed with a spiced tomato and onion filling. A beloved Ramadan street food sold at every neighborhood stall.
Kefta & Potato Tagine
Spiced meatballs nestled among tender potatoes in a rich tomato sauce. A hearty, family-style Moroccan comfort dish.
Vegetable Tagine with Merguez
Hearty root vegetables and spicy merguez sausages in a fragrant tomato broth. A complete one-pot meal for busy weeknights.
Seafood Pastilla - Fish & Shrimp Pie
A coastal variation of the classic pastilla — flaky phyllo layered with spiced fish, shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar.
Rfissa with Lentils - Vegetarian Version
A plant-based take on the festive rfissa — shredded msemen soaked in a fragrant fenugreek and lentil broth. Hearty and warming.
Merguez Tagine with Peppers & Onions
Spicy merguez sausages simmered with bell peppers, onions, and a cumin-tomato sauce. A quick and satisfying weeknight tagine.
Loubia Blanca - White Bean Stew
Creamy white beans slow-cooked in a fragrant onion and tomato sauce with cumin and paprika. A Moroccan comfort classic.
Chakhchoukha - Torn Bread in Tomato Broth
A hearty dish of torn msemen bread soaked in a spiced tomato and lamb broth. The signature dish of eastern Morocco (Oriental region).