Vegetarian Cassoulet

From Delicious Living
Serves 8
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.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Cassoulet

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large red potato, diced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth

Bread Crumb Topping:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 thick slices French bread
2 sprigs parsley
4 cloves garlic, peeled

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. 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.
2. To make bread crumb topping, combine olive oil, bread, parsley and garlic in a food processor; puree on high until finely crumbled.
3. Remove cassoulet from oven and take out bay leaf. Raise oven temperature to 400°F. 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.