Recipe #7: Vegetable Cassoulet

This Recipe is from A friend (CT). We made it this weekend and it was awesome. I doubled the amount of cayenne pepper for extra heat. I also used the heart healthy (AHA label on pkg.) Turkey sausage (Kroger) and cooked it in a skillet as per the directions with a little olive oil. The meats listed below are a little fatty so I would substitute a low fat meat of your choice. Enjoy!

Alright this is a Mark Bittman recipe, who by the way has some really great recipes that can be found on the New York Times website if you search his name. You can even watch him make every dish that he has on the site.

Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, bone-in pork chops, duck breasts, or chicken legs, or 1 pound of any combination of meats
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 leeks or onions, washed and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2 –inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups canned tomatoes (and juice), chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 cups canned white beans, drained and liquid reserved in case needed
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook, turning until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drain off all but two tablespoons of fat. Turn heat to medium, add garlic, leeks or onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until softened. Add tomatoes and juice, meat, and herbs. Bring to a boil. Add beans and boil again, stirring occasionally; reduce heat so mixture bubbles gently. Cook for 20 minutes, adding stock or bean liquid when mixture gets thick. Fish out meat; remove bones and skin and chop into chunks. Return to pot and add cayenne. Warm through. Serves four.

Calories per serving: 580 Carbs: 82 g Protein: 40 g Fat: 11 g

My notes (CT): Okay, there is quite a bit of flexibility with this, I didn’t use fresh herbs because I didn’t have them but I used dried thyme and that is the key herb. I also hate celery so I left it out. If you use canned chopped tomatoes, it doesn’t get thick so there is no need to add stock or bean juice. I used Andouille sausage and removed the casing and it was phenom. Finally, it says that it serves 4 but it serves more like 7 or 8. Okay, enjoy!