This rich, luxurious mushroom cauliflower cassoulet is a healthier (and much easier!) version of the traditional French dish (that can be made completely vegan) and you can easily assemble it in about 20 – 30 minutes. The rest of the magic and depth of flavor happens in the oven. This is the perfect thing to make on a Sunday afternoon then sit back and let it bake and fill your home with delightful scents while you rest and relax.
Cassoulet is a traditional French dish that traditionally combines beans, meat, herbs and veggies to produce a rich, robust stew. Times Magazine reports that since meat was hard to obtain prior to the mid-20th century, traditional cassoulets were more likely to resemble a bean and veggie stew so perhaps my veggie-full version of this flavorful oven-baked stew is more traditional than the complicated recipes containing duck and pork fat that you see today.
The Story behind Cassoulet
Cassoulet gets its name from the earthenware casserole dish that it is cooked in, the “cassole”, a wide mouthed bowl. This vessel traditionally sat upon the hearth simmering constantly for hours or days. The town of Castelnaudary proclaimed itself the “capital of cassoulet” during the Hundred Years’ War in France. During the war, the villagers were trapped by the English, so they gathered together their scraps of meat and beans and cooked it all in a giant pot. The French soldiers ate this community bean stew, regained their strength from this hearty dish and chased the English all the way back to the Channel. Today, the town takes cassoulet so seriously it has a society — La Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary, formed in 1972 — to protect the dish.
The Kitchn says to forego the breadcrumbs that most cassoulet recipes call for … and you can certainly skip the crumbs if you like. While they make a pretty topping and add a little crunch for the initial eating of the dish, I have to admit they don’t contribute much to the leftovers.
How I updated Cassoulet to make it healthier
Since I am an American experimenting with a healthier version of the dish, I don’t even pretend to claim that my version is traditional in any sense … but even though my cassoulet is cooked in the oven for a mere 50 minutes, not for hours over a fire, I would still contend that there is a luxuriant, velvety richness to it. I added more veggies and umami rich mushrooms to the mix. I also used a spicy chicken andouille sausage to give my cassoulet a bit more flavor and spunk, but you can choose whatever sausage appeals to you … or go vegan with this dish and use vegan sausage (or skip the sausage altogether and add seasonings to your liking).
The other major change I made was not to use the white beans most cassoulet recipes call for. Although I have white beans on hand, my mother gave me a beautiful mix of beans she harvested from her garden, and I just couldn’t go with white beans over her lovely beans. Besides, the traditional recipe almost certainly didn’t use white beans, as the white bean so closely associated today with cassoulet did not appear in Europe until after Columbus’s second voyage in 1493. This is French COUNTRY cooking, people. They used what was available, and I think we could all learn from doing more of that. Who says they didn’t toss in mushrooms and other veggies, if they had it? I’m most certain that they did!
Can this cassoulet recipe be vegan? Dairy free? Gluten free?
Yes, yes and yes!
For the vegans, simple omit the bacon and substitute vegan sausage of your choice. I’ve heard from my vegan friend Melissa over at ChinDeep that vegan sausage is delicious, but if you aren’t into that, just leave out the sausage altogether. A bit of nutritional yeast tossed in would add depth of flavor.
For the dairy free crowd, that is quite easy. Simple toss the crumbs with olive oil in place of cheese. Or skip the crumbs. It’s up to you. The velvety richness and creaminess comes from the beans in this recipe. Dairy is really not required.
Gluten free friends rejoice! My recommended GF sub for the crumb topping is even better than the regular version. Simply crush up some rice chex and mix it with a bit of Italian seasoning and granulated garlic. The crunchy rice chex won’t go soggy as quickly as the breadcrumbs so you’re kind of golden here.
For the carnivores amongst us, feel free to add extra duck, goose, pheasant, chicken, turkey or pork to the dish to satisfy your meat cravings.
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Mushroom Cauliflower Mixed Bean Cassoulet
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
- Yield: 6 – 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
A veggie-full French cassoulet full of good French flavor made with mixed beans with a nice crust of crunchy breadcrumbs on top, this hearty, healthy dish can be easily customized for almost any diet.
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 – 2 strips bacon (optional)
- 2 chicken (or vegan) sausage links, chopped
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1/4 of a large onion, peeled & chopped
- 8 oz. fresh baby bella mushrooms, sliced and roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups cauliflower broken into small florets
- 1 pint home-canned tomatoes (or 1 15-oz. can of tomatoes), with juices
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- A few fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups cooked mixed beans (I used my Instant Pot beans-recipe here)
- Salt, cayenne & freshly ground pepper, to taste
- For the crunchy topping: 1/2 – 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or crushed rice chex) mixed with 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or 1 Tablespoon olive oil (for a vegan option)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, then the bacon (if using) and chopped sausage. Cook until the bacon is cooked and sausage is browned. Remove the meat and drain any excess oil from the pan.
- Add the onion and garlic and saute briefly, then add the mushrooms. Cook and stir to coat the mushrooms with oil, then cover and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender. Add the carrots, celery and cauliflower. Stir and cook for several minutes until the veggies start to get tender.
- Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf and herbs. Bring to a boil, then add the beans. Cook for about 10 minutes, then taste and add salt, a bit of cayenne and/or black pepper to taste. Pour into a casserole pan.
- Bake at 375 F. for 25 minutes; then fish out the bay leaf and add the crunchy topping and bake 25 minutes more or until the topping is nicely browned. Serve hot!
Notes
© Copyright 2020, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Looking for more cauliflower recipes?
Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable! Here are a few of my favorite cauliflower recipes:
- Cauliflower Polenta
- Roasted Cauliflower Shawarma
- Creole Shrimp with Roasted Cauliflower “Grits”
- Italian Cauliflower Nachos
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
- Nepalese Cauliflower Curry
2 comments
Sometimes, when you follow a recipe, its gold. One of the most delish things I have ever made. Used plant based sausage and Tony Charcharis’ as the main spice. OMG…Brilliant.
Thank you so much, Tom! I’m so happy you loved it.