What’s your favorite one-pot meal?
I was at Whole Foods last night to meet with my fellow local cooking instructor and blogger Jamie Dougherty. I wanted to see how she runs her Whole Foods cooking class at Berkeley.
The recipe that night was Heirloom Beans with Greens, a delicious one-pot meal which I enjoyed whole-heartedly. When you taste things like that, you realize how tasty and satisfying a vegan or vegetarian dish can be.
We all got quite a bit of this tasty bean stew, which stimulated my appetite. I wanted more… (Surprise!) Plus, I knew there’s a hungry one waiting for me at home (well, he wasn’t home yet, but you know what I mean.)
Hey, I have everything in my pantry! Kale, Fennel, Carrots, Onion! The only thing is, I only had one can of Cannelini, but no time to cook dried beans. Instead, I had some sausages! Perfect!
So tweaking her recipe, I made this cassoulet like dish, with a lot more vegetables. Kale is one of the most nutrition-packed food in the planet (according to Whole Food’s scale, 1000 units out of maximum 1000!), so I added a lot of it. From the photo, you may think it doesn’t have much beans to call it Cassoulet, yet I normally find traditional version too heavy or I end up feeling bloated. Even though it was sort of out of necessity, by using more veggie and less beans, I was able to make it something lighter and healthier.
I only used water and bean liquid from the can, but with the aromatics, kale and sausages created this amazing flavor! Yuuuum! Perfect when the days gets shorter, and colder!
A comment about the bean liquid from the can: Some don’t like it, some like it, because it thickens the soup. Jamie said that she can taste the tinny taste. People can taste different things, and I can barely taste it, at least from the one I use. But things like cilantro? Boy, I taste SOAP, big time! So, taste the liquid, if you like it, feel free to use it. If you don’t, don’t.
If you don’t have fennel, you can use celery, yet in my opinion, fennel adds depth of flavor to this dish. Fennel last a while in the fridge, plus great shaved thinly as salads, braised, grilled, and in soups, so I recommend you buy some when you find it, and keep them handy!
Quick Healthy Cassoulet with Vegetables
Ingredients:
- Onion — 1/2 large or 1 small — chopped
- Carrots — 2 — chopped
- Fennel — 1 medium — chopped (or celery, 2 stalks)
- Kale — 1/2 bunch — chopped
- Cannellini Beans — 1 can (feel free to use more)
- Water, Chicken, Vegetable or Bean broth — to cover, about 2-3 cups
- Sausages (optional) — 2
- Thyme
- EVOO, Salt, Pepper
- Parmiggiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano Cheese (optional)
Method:
- Heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan with wide bottom, cook onion, carrots, fennel and kale, add salt and cook until the vegetable are tender.
- Add a whole can of beans and water or chicken/vegetable broth to cover the vegetable mixture. If adding sausage, bring it to the boil, and add it directly into the stew, and cook until vegetable are tender and sausage is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add thyme at the end, if using.
- (Optional) Before serving, take the sausage out and cut into bite size pieces. Drizzle extra EVOO if desired. Shave Parmiggiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese on top, and serve hot.
Enjoy!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done! Your version looks great and thanks so much for joining us
Thank you, Jamie! I’ve also made a microwave version that needs even less time and attention especially if you have sauteed mirepoix on hand . Will post it next week… Now your recipe can be done by a child, or an unwilling yet hungry husband… : ) (YES… as you can figure out, I made slightly different versions of this three days in a low! I’m crazy… And I happily report, all of them were great.)