Vegetarian Cassoulet

• From: Delicious Living Magazine

Ingredients

• Cassoulet:2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 large carrot, diced

• 1 large red potato, diced

• 6 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tbs herbes de Provence

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 15-ounce (425g) cans cannellini beans, drained

• 1 14 1/2-ounce (415g) can diced tomatoes

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• Bread Crumb Topping:2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 thick slices French bread

• 2 sprigs parsley

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

Cassoulet, a hearty white bean casserole, is a French original. Its savory flavor comes from herbes de Provence, a mixture of dried thyme, basil, rosemary and lavender.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). In a large skillet, sauté onion, carrot and potato in olive oil over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add garlic, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper; sauté another minute. Combine vegetables with bay leaf, beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth in a large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes.
• To make bread crumb topping, combine olive oil, bread, parsley and garlic in a food processor; puree on high until finely crumbled.
• Remove cassoulet from oven and take out bay leaf. Raise oven temperature to 400°F (205°C). Sprinkle half the bread crumbs on top; bake another 15 minutes.
• Remove cassoulet from oven; stir bread crumb topping into beans. Top with remaining bread crumbs. Bake another 15 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately.