Vegetable Cassoulet from ‘The Year of Cozy’
This recipe is from The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures by Adrianna Adarme (Rodale), who writes the blog, A Cozy Kitchen. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photograph by Adrianna Adam
Vegetable Cassoulet
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Traditional cassoulet takes a grand total of 14 to 16 hours (and that doesn’t even include soaking the beans overnight). It’s a labor of love, requiring time and effort. I’m all about that notion, but sometimes I just want dinner. My cassoulet takes advantage of shortcuts (hello canned beans!). Instead of coaxing the flavors from pork renderings for hours on end, this cassoulet celebrates winter vegetables like squash, leeks, and carrots.
CRUMB TOPPING
1 clove garlic
½ baguette, broken into chunks
2 teaspoons olive oil
Small handful of parsley leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
CASSOULET
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced
3 ribs celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs tarragon
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup cubed peeled butternut squash (½ butternut squash)
2 cups water
Salt
2 cans (15 ounces each) great Northern beans
To make the crumb topping: In a food processor, pulse the garlic clove until minced. Add the baguette chunks and pulse until the bread turns into crumbs. Add the oil, parsley leaves, and salt. Pulse once more until the parsley is finely chopped and the topping appears uniform in size.
To make the cassoulet: In a Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is warm and glistens, add the leeks, celery, and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, cumin, cloves, and tomato paste. Mix and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the squash and water. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the cassoulet to a simmer, then immediately turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the carrots and squash are tender.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Give the cassoulet a taste test and add salt to your liking. Mix in the beans and, using a wooden spoon, smooth the top of the cassoulet and sprinkle the crumb topping over it.
Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is crispy and golden brown. Ladle into bowls and eat warm with additional bread, if you like.
Reprinted with permission from The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures by Adrianna Adarme (Rodale).
More vegetarian dishes to enjoy this Thanksgiving:
Green Beans with Toasted Almonds from ‘The Chef Next Door’
Vegan Thyme-Stuffed Portobellos with Rosemary Gravy
Pomegranate Roasted Brussels Sprouts
