Last week we were expecting a whole crowd of people to gather for dinner on Friday night. My husband had been away all week, and we were all looking forward to enjoying good food, good company, and a glass of good wine. 

I was looking for a main course that would serve as a dramatic centerpiece for our meal, a symbol of sorts, and so I decided to try making a vegan version of a cassoulet. Traditionally, the cassoulet, a staple of French cuisine, is made with meats and poultry like mutton, pork, sausage, and duck confit, and different regions of France are known for their own distinctive versions. But I had my heart set on making a new kind of cassoulet that, while plant-based, was still intensely flavorful. 

I’ll be honest — it was somewhat labor intensive. But I had set aside the time, and I had all the ingredients. I was inspired and I was organized. Plus, I was planning to make it in the huge round shallow 6-quart casserole dish that had sat in the center of my parents’ coffee table for decades. 

As you read through this recipe, I want you to notice how each layer is cooked separately before being added to the baking dish. Notice also how the beans and potatoes are cooked in the same water, and how the onions, peppers, and cooked potatoes are fried in the same pan. Believe it or not, there isn’t all that much to clean up after the cassoulet goes into the oven. I used a package of buckeye beans from the incomparable Rancho Gordo in Napa, but am looking forward to trying the recipe with other kinds of beans next time I make it. Maybe the beautiful white Marcella beans???

This story would theoretically end with a few words on how much everyone enjoyed the dinner, and how grateful we were for the time spent together. But, as my grandmother used to remind me regularly, “People plan and God laughs.” The sniffles with which my husband returned home were not just a cold. As our guests scattered to make other plans, and my husband repaired to our elder son’s former bedroom for a period of convalescence, our beautiful cassoulet basically became the inspiration for an entire week’s worth of meals eaten separately by the two of us in quarantine. Yes, it was delicious. And, yes, he is recovering well.   

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups home-cooked buckeye beans or cranberry beans, drained; OR 30-ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained
2 + 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced in half through the root, and then sliced very, very thinly (~2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin OR 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 large red bell pepper, sliced thin lengthwise
15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
6-7 Yukon Gold potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), scrubbed well and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup bean-cooking water, plus more as needed
1 + 1 tsp. salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. hot paprika
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste

Step 1
If starting with dry beans, soak beans overnight. In the morning, exchange the soaking water for 1 quart fresh water, and add to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, and cook 1-2 hours (depending on type of bean) until just barely soft, but not mushy. Gently scoop out the beans into a large casserole dish and set aside. Leave all the bean water in the pot! You will need it below in Steps 4 and 6. (Don’t pour the water through a strainer and lose it down the drain.) If you are using canned beans, the first step will be to add them to the bottom of the casserole.

Step 2
Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to a hot cast iron skillet, and swirl until fragrant. Add the onions and stir every few minutes until the edges of the onions are caramelized and medium-dark brown. Add garlic to the pan for the final 30 seconds of cooking. Do not allow to burn. Remove onions and garlic, and sprinkle over the beans in the casserole. Repeat the process with the red bell pepper, and remove the pepper to a small bowl. 

Step 3
Add a few teaspoons of tomato sauce to the tomato paste, stir until mixed, and return the mixture to the tomato sauce. Mix well, and spoon evenly over the beans and onions. Sprinkle with thyme, oregano, 1 tsp. salt, fresh ground black pepper, and hot paprika.

Step 4
Add the potatoes and 1 tsp. salt to the pot of bean water and cook (in the bean water) for 20-30 min until soft. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the cast iron skillet in which the onions and pepper were fried, heat until fragrant, and then scoop out the potatoes directly into the skillet with bits of remaining onion and red pepper. Once again, leave all the bean water in the pot. Fry the potatoes on medium-high heat, turning until all sides are brown. Carefully sprinkle the potatoes on top of the bean, onion, and tomato sauce layers. 

Step 5
Add the red bell pepper to the cassoulet, placing the slices in and among the potatoes.

Step 6
Check the level of the liquid in the cassoulet and add bean water (from the soup pot) as necessary to raise the level just to the top of the beans, approximately 1-2 inches. Cook 1 hour, covered, at 300F.

Step 7
Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper as desired. Squeeze juice of one-half lemon over top, and serve hot. Serves 10-12. Bon appetit!