Vegetarian Cassoulet Recipe

I’m in. Deep in, my friends. Deep into my cannelloni bean phase, that is! Oh yes, it’s on!

First we cooked the beans, then we made that super scrumptious salad, and today I’m serving up this amazing vegetarian comfort food dish with them.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France. Traditionally it includes white kidney beans, pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton.

Other than the beans and slow-cooking method, there’s nothing traditional about this cassoulet. It’s vegetarian, after all!

What are you doing this weekend, anyway? Cooking the beans? You could do that today, and spend a part of Saturday or Sunday hanging out in the kitchen — making this insanely flavorful, heart-warming (yes, heart-warming) meal!

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Vegetarian Cassoulet

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours
Active Work Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Recipe
3/4 cup olive oil
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced brown onion
2 tablespoons roasted garlic
2-1/2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch rounds
5 cups packed, roughly chopped kale, washed and dried (I like black kale in this recipe.)
1-1/4 cup roughly chopped, oil marinated artichoke hearts
1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh oregano
2-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1-1/4 cup roughly chopped, peeled canned tomatoes
1-1/4 cup dry white wine
2-1/2 cups vegetable stock
3-3/4 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Use about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to coat the bottom of a large pot. Place the pot over medium-high heat and add the onions. Stirring every few minutes or so, cook the onions until they are very tender and are beginning to become brown, about 15 minutes. Add the roasted garlic and stir to blend.
Add the carrots and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the kale and cook until it’s completely wilted, again, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the artichokes, oregano and thyme, and cook for a few minutes, until it’s very aromatic.
Deglaze the pot with the tomatoes, wine and stock. Use a flat-bottomed wooden spatula to scrape any stuck bits of food from the bottom of the pot, back into the mixture.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then uncover the pot, turn the heat to medium and cook to reduce the liquid by about half. This should take about 20 minutes.
Fold in the cooked cannellini beans and season generously with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 X 13 X 2-1/2-inch baking dish — something like Emile Henry stoneware is perfect.)
Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly on top and then drizzle it with the melted butter and the remaining olive oil.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours. Then cover loosely with foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.
Let it “rest” for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Yes, you can buy cooked cannellini beans, but making them is fantastic (and more delicious)!
Gluten-free? Easy — use gluten-free bread crumbs! I make mine with the ends of our gluten-free bread. (Toast in the oven, let it cool, then use a food processor to blend.)
This cassoulet is lovely served in individual baking dishes, as well. (A 4 x 6 x 2-inch would serve 1 to 2 — and for this recipe use 5 of them).
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http://cookingontheweekends.com/2012/01/vegetarian-cassoulet-recipe/
©2012 Cooking On The Weekends/BlazingBright, Inc.

Timeline:
Up to 4 days and at least 1 day ahead: Cook the beans.
Up to 1 week and at least 1 day ahead: Roast the garlic.
3-1/2 hours ahead: Begin prepping and cooking the ingredients for the cassoulet.
2-1/2 hours ahead: Bake the cassoulet!
This entire dish can be made 1 day ahead. (Once it comes to room temperature, cover it tightly and keep it refrigerated. To get ready to serve, bring it back to room temperature, and then reheat it in a 300 degree F oven until it’s hot all the way through, about 20 minutes.)

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Tagged as: artichoke hearts, black kale, cannellini beans, carrots, dinner, entree, how to cook cannellini beans, kale, main course, onion, oregano, roasted garlic, thyme, tomatoes, vegetable stock, wine

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen January 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

This also sounds really delicious! Could I sub spinach for the kale? I know kale is super healthy but it’s a little bitter for me…

valentina January 28, 2012 at 1:10 am: Thanks so much, Tori! Yes, spinach would be fantastic — I’d use twice as much since it shrinks more than the kale. xo

Andrea February 6, 2012 at 1:48 am

Do you think this could be freezer-friendly? If so, would you freeze before or after baking?

valentina February 6, 2012 at 2:05 am: I think you could freeze this after baking it. Place it in the refrigerator the at least 24 hours before you want to reheat it. Enjoy!

Diane February 11, 2013 at 10:43 pm