White bean cassoulet is a cozy and hardy casserole dish. Something between a French castle and Italian lasagna this vegetarian bean dish – tastes much more indulgent than it really is.
A traditional French Cassoulet dish is from the Languedoc region (southern France). It features a combination of pork sausages, duck confit, and creamy white beans.
My vegetarian cassoulet is inspired by the Ratatouille Cassoulet recipe (page 151) and one of my favorite cookbooks, “Cool Beans,” by Joe Yonan. The book is beautiful, and I never stop getting excited and inspired when I flip through the pages.
If you like this White Bean Cassoulet I think you will also really enjoy this Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake.
ingredient notes
the white beans
I love all kinds of white beans!! For this recipe, you can choose your favorite, or whatever you have in your pantry. I also like the variety of white beans for a combination of size and textures.
- Navy beans are the smallest, have a soft texture, and have a buttery/ nutty flavor.
- Great Northern Beans are larger than Navy beans and meaty with a mild, subtle flavor.
- Cannellini beans are creamy white beans, larger than great northern beans, which are also called white kidney beans
- Butter Beans/Lima beans- are the most unique the larger of the white beans, with a buttery texture and slightly sweet creamy flavor.
I highly suggest, including butter beans in this dish for their size and texture. I usually used canned beans for the recipe, but if you have cooked dry white beans at hand, those will work excellently as well.
The Veggies
I love to include eggplant and bell pepper, but you could also use zucchini or summer squash.
The Spices
Because classic cassoulet is normally cooked with some kind of sausage or other meat products; I chose a spice combination that hinted toward sweet and Italian sausage. Dried sage and fennel seeds go along way to suggest sausage without including all of the saturated fats that come with it.
instructions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil on medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until softened about 10 minutes.
Next, add the tomato paste and spices. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes while continually stirring. Add the vegetable broth and bring to A gentle simmer.
Add in the chopped vegetables and gently combine until fully coated with the liquid. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes long enough to just soften the vegetables.
Drain and rinse the canned beans and then add them to the pot. Gently combine all of the ingredients before pouring into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Seal the casual dish tightly with tinfoil and bake at 375F for 45 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and, finally, grated Parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
After the cassoulet has baked for 45 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top. Return to the oven and bake for another 45 minutes.
After a total of an hour and a half in the oven, the interior should be piping hot, and the top of the breadcrumbs Golden brown.
Let the bean cassoulet set up for at least 20 minutes before serving with crusty bread or fresh pasta.
tips, tricks, and alterations
Lasagna Style- The first time I made this dish, I started with a single layer of each vegetable with tomato sauce in between each layer. While this is the “hard way, “ it does satisfyingly resemble lasagna. For convenience, I have normally opted for this hearty casserole style you find in the recipe card today.
Fresh herbs – I love the convenience of dry herbs, but if you have access to them, don’t be afraid to add fresh herbs, like parsley and oregano, to this dish.
Cooking liquid swap out – if you don’t have vegetable broth on hand, you could use water or make the dish even more indulgent with red wine or a dry white wine instead of Vegetable broth. For flexitarian feel free to swap in chicken stock.
Serving suggestions – my favorite way to enjoy this dish is with a crusty baguette, but it is also delicious with a pile of pasta.
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Recipe
White Bean Cassoulet (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of olive oil 3 for cooking the onions/ 3 for breadcrumb topping
- 1 large onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon tsp dried sage
- 1 teaspoon tsp paprika
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flacks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bell peppers cut into 1inch pieces
- 1 medium eggplant cut into 1inch pieces
- 3 cans of white beans
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped onions and garlic, cooking until softened.
- Stir in the tomato paste and spices, cooking for 3-4 minutes on medium heat while continually stirring.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chopped vegetables, stirring until they are fully coated with the liquid.
- Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, just enough to soften the vegetables.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot, gently combining all ingredients.
- Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Seal the casserole dish tightly with tinfoil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- After the casserole has baked for 45 minutes, remove the tinfoil.
- Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top.
- Return the casserole to the oven and bake for another 45 minutes, until the interior is hot and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Let the casserole set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!