Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 3 × 400 g tins haricot or cannellini beans, drained (or 750 g home-cooked beans)
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- A bouquet of thyme, rosemary and 2 bay leaves, tied with string
For the crumb
- 100 g wholemeal sourdough breadcrumbs (or gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- A handful of parsley, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Soften: heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole and cook the onions, carrots and celery for 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, then add the garlic and paprika for 1 minute.
- Simmer: stir in the tomato purée, tomatoes, beans, stock, tamari, mustard and herbs. Bring to a simmer and season well.
- Make the crumb: mix the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and olive oil.
- Bake: heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Scatter half the crumb over the beans and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Push the crust down into the beans with a spoon, scatter over the rest of the crumb and bake for 20–30 minutes more, until deep golden and bubbling. (Pressing the crust in is the traditional way of making cassoulet.)
- Serve: remove the herb bundle and serve with a crisp green salad dressed with French Vinaigrette.
Why it's good for you: Beans are among the best foods for the gut: their fibre and resistant starch feed the microbes that make short-chain fatty acids, which help calm inflammation. Smoked paprika and mushrooms give the depth of flavour that the traditional sausages and duck confit would bring, without the processed meat.
Good to know: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version.
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