Cassoulet is a French comfort food — a rich, slow-cooked white bean stew originating from the south of France. I first came across cassoulet at the grocery store in St. Maarten (it was sitting among the canned beans), but it wasn’t until I was actually in France that I came to appreciate the cultural significance of this dish. Each region has its own variation that reflects local specialties and in that tradition, I’ve created a vegan version. Serve with a crusty whole-grain bread. Recipe and photo from Happy Herbivore Abroad by Lindsay S. Nixon ©2012, Ben Bella Books. Reprinted by permission.
Recipe
Vegan Cassoulet (White Bean and Vegetable Stew)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley divided
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15- ounce can white beans such as cannellini undrained (use low-sodium or no salt if possible)
- Thyme sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Pour a shallow layer of vegetable broth into a soup pot and heat. Sauté onion and garlic over high heat until onions start to become translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery, and remaining broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium, cover, and keep cooking until carrots are softer but still firm, about 5 minutes.
- Add half of the thyme and parsley, followed by the tomato and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
- Continue to cook until carrots are fork tender and soft, but not mushy or not falling apart, about 4 more minutes.
- Stir in beans (with liquid) until well combined and add the remaining thyme and parsley. Reduce heat to low and cook for another minute or two, just to warm the beans up a bit.
- Stir and taste, adding salt and black pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a thyme sprig.
Nutrition
Nutrition information
Per serving: Calories 222; Total Fat 1g; Carbs 43.4g; Fiber 10.7g; Sugars 6.3g; Protein 12.7g
- Try more of our delicious and warming Global Stews.
Stamatia says
Congrats, you've invented fasolada, a staple of the Greek diet: https://g.co/kgs/tXUtf2
Max Gron says
This is an ideal comfort food to serve a crowd, and I'd like very much to cook this dish. With beans and tomatoes & herbs, it's all too delicious! 🙂