white bean and mushroom cassoulet — Photo:
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Active Time:

50 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 30 mins

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

In traditional French cassoulet, the meats — often sausage, pork, and duck confit — tend to take center stage. Lidey Heuck’s vegetarian version from her cookbook Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes For Everyday forgoes the meat and instead uses both dried porcini and fresh cremini mushrooms to add heartiness and depth of flavor: The dried porcini mushrooms pack the broth with umami, while the other vegetables and creamy white beans slowly simmer to perfect tenderness. A generous topping of cheese and breadcrumbs on the cassoulet, broiled just before serving, adds a satisfyingly rich and crunchy finish to the dish.

Frequently asked questions

What is cassoulet?

Cassoulet is a hearty, slow-cooked French stew with white beans and a variety of meats like sausage and duck. Heuck draws inspiration from the rich flavors of the original dish but makes vegetarian cassoulet by using a combination of dried and fresh mushrooms instead of meat.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

If you don’t have Gruyère cheese or Comté, another buttery, nutty cheese like Emmental also works well in the cheese-and-panko topping.

Suggested pairing

Pair this hearty vegetarian cassoulet with a savory Rhône red such as Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas.

Make ahead

You can make this vegetarian cassoulet through step 3 up to 1 day in advance. The following day, reheat the cassoulet, partially covered, in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes before continuing to step 4.

Ingredients

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups very hot water
1/4 cup unsalted butter (2 ounces), divided
1 yellow onion (such as Vidalia), chopped (about 2 cups)
8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
3 large celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 garlic cloves)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (such as Great Northern or cannellini)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 cups panko
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces Gruyère cheese or Comté cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Soak porcini mushrooms in 3 cups very hot water for about 20 minutes. Remove mushrooms from water, squeezing over bowl to extract liquid. Finely chop rehydrated mushrooms; set aside. Line a fine wire-mesh strainer with cheesecloth, and set strainer over a medium bowl. Pour mushroom liquid through strainer; discard solids, and set soaking liquid aside.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cremini mushrooms, carrots, celery, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until color darkens to a rusty red, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven. Add reserved mushroom soaking liquid, chopped porcini mushrooms, white beans, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Transfer Dutch oven to preheated oven, and bake, uncovered, until a crust forms on top of bean mixture (surface of beans will look dry), about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and stir to break up crust. Stir in sherry. Return to oven, and bake at 325°F until crust is re-formed and most liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss together panko and oil in a medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère, parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Increase oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over surface of cassoulet. Broil until panko is golden brown and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.