White Bean Cassoulet with Roasted Vegetables

This hearty vegan cassoulet with roasted vegetables is a festive and affordable way to feed a crowd.

A traditional French cassoulet is a legendary, almost mythical creature. Duck confit and pork sausages are nestled into creamy white beans, topped with seasoned breadcrumbs, and baked into an enormous casserole fit to feed someone who’s been hunting all day in a cold, wet, French forest.

I had the pleasure of eating the real thing in Paris last winter. It was an unusually windy, freezing, rainy night, and thanks to the benevolence of the gods, we got a table at Chez Denise without a reservation. (Maybe the gods sensed a global pandemic was coming and were like, “Fine, here you go. You probably won’t be back for a while.”)

Admittedly, my girlfriends did not share my enthusiasm for ordering a bean dish. But man, did their eyes light up when our stoic waiter set that steaming, bubbly casserole on our table. By the end of the meal, there wasn’t a single bean left behind.

Here’s my vegan, home cook-friendly version of cassoulet (pronounced kae-soo-lay) with roasted vegetables. It’s a festive yet low-key way to feed any crowd.

What’s In This Vegan Cassoulet

This hearty vegetarian dish consists of tomato-braised white beans; the traditional duck and pork bits make way for earthy roasted vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, and fennel). The crunchy breadcrumb topping is made of nutritional yeast- and parsley-laced panko. Everything gets combined in a casserole dish and baked until golden.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Mushrooms: Feel free to sub the cremini with shiitake, oyster, or maitake mushrooms.
• Carrots: Parsnips would work just as well.
• Fennel: If you don’t like fennel, just leave it out and compensate with extra mushrooms and carrots.
• Beans: Although home-cooked beans are always best, you can make vegan cassoulet with canned or from-scratch beans.
• Panko: Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs are crunchier and fluffier than American-style. They’re available in most supermarkets these days, but if you can’t find them, regular ones will do.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Roast the Vegetables: Start this vegan cassoulet by preheating the oven and prepping the carrots, fennel, and mushrooms. I like to cut them into large-ish chunks so they stand apart from the beans.

Pro tip: Unless your mushrooms are literally covered in soil, don’t wash them under the tap (mushrooms absorb water, which can make them rubbery); wipe them with a damp paper towel instead. Toss the veg with oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until lightly golden, about 25 minutes.

Simmer the Beans: While the veg are roasting, prep the beans. In a large skillet, sweat diced onion, garlic, and spices until the onion is translucent. Then add the beans, tomato sauce, and veg broth, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Make the Topping: Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, minced parsley, a bit of oil, and a pinch of salt in bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingers to distribute the oil.

Assemble and Bake: To finish the cassoulet, stir the roasted veg into the beans and transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with the panko mixture and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Make-Ahead Tips

If you want to cook this in advance, finish it through step 6: put the vegetable-bean mixture in the baking dish and cover with foil. It will keep well in the fridge for several days. When you’re ready to serve it, sprinkle it with the panko mixture and bake.

More holiday goodness…

• Fall Farro Salad with Carrots
• The Best Thanksgiving Salad
• Balsamic Caramelized Onion Crostini
• Muhammara (Red Pepper Walnut Dip)

Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.

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