Once the Ridiculously Simple Mushroom Stock made its way into our repertoire, the hunt was on for fun ways to use it. That quest brought us to the idea of using this vegan stock to reinvent perhaps one of the least vegan dishes we could think of: Cassoulet. Traditional cassoulets originated in the south of France as a means of using up preserved meats and game, whether in sausage or confit form. White beans and some basic vegetables were added, depending on the region, and slow cooked in a special stoneware dish called a “cassole”. The rest is pretty much comfort food history.
Not being able to swap in the more vegan friendly soy- and gluten-based meat substitutes because of allergy issues (Duh.), we opted instead for nice, meaty portabella mushroom caps. They provided the perfect texture, are readily available, easy to prepared, and tap perfectly into the already great flavors in the mushroom stock. Mission accomplished.
Aside from the obvious health benefits of a vegan version of this dish, this cassoulet is a much less time consuming venture than its traditional counterpart (minus the overnight soak for the beans, that is). The meat version can be an all day project. Ours can be prepped, assembled and baked in under two hours. Huge improvement.
As far as the beans go, we used Great Northern beans, but any white bean will do for this recipe—navy, cannellini, or even pinto beans. You could also, in a pinch, use canned and thoroughly rinsed beans. We’ll look away. We might judge you, but we’ll still look away. You do you.
Another tweak to the traditional version is a modern nod to the dish’s peasant origins. Taking inspiration from the crunchy fennel topping on the Baked Onions, we topped the dish with crushed potato chips before the final bake (we’re obsessed, okay?) and it added just the right amount of crunch to the finished dish. We hope you love this as mush as we did, and that it becomes a staple of your cold weather recipe file. Enjoy!
- 1 pound dried white beans (we used Great Northern, but Navy beans or cannellini beans would work great too), rinsed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound Portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed
- 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 - 3 fresh sage leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups mushroom stock
- ½ cup crushed potato chips (from about 2 cups potato chips)
- Place dried beans in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups of cold water. Let soak overnight then strain in a fine mesh strainer.
- Place beans and 6 cups water in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, covered, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 60 minutes, until beans begin to soften. Strain out the cooking liquid, then season white beans with salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. While the white beans cook, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear mushroom caps until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove mushrooms from pot, and reduce heat to medium low. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil and diced onions.
- Tie rosemary, thyme and sage together with kitchen twine and add to pot. Sweat onions until softened, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another minute or two.
- Add tomato paste, stir to combine, then add white wine. Increase heat to medium then simmer mixture until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
- Add stock and reserved mushroom caps and simmer until liquid is reduced by half again, about another 10 minutes. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bundle of herbs.
- To assemble cassoulet, spread half of the cooked beans in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking dish. Top with mushroom caps and their cooking liquid. Spread remaining white beans on top, then sprinkle mixture with crushed potato chips.
- Bake mixture for 35 - 40 minutes, or until crushed potato chips begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
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