To Veg or Not to Veg?

Luckily with this recipe you can do both!  This recipe was given to me by a former co-worker who I fell out of touch with when I moved from NYC to Baltimore. So if Kevin Kavanagh ever googles his name, maybe he’ll find me here. He and his fiancée made it and thought it was so good he shared the recipe with me. It’s from the Best of Cooking Light’s Classics and perfect for a cold night. The recipe calls for prosciutto and chicken broth, but I made it vegetarian by omitting the ham and using a mixture of vegetable broth & white wine. I made this for a dinner with my vegetarian neighbor and we both deemed it a success!

White Bean and Sage Cassoulet

6 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup chopped fennel bulb

1 cup diced onion

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (or use vegetable broth or white wine)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh or 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or ham (omit if you want to)

2 16-ounce cans cannellini beans or other white beans, drained

1 14.5-ounce can peeled tomato wedges (I used diced tomatoes since that’s what was in my pantry)

2 1-ounce slices diagonally cut French bread (about 1 inch thick) (I cut up enough bread crumbs to cover the dish)

Cooking spray

Sage leaves (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, fennel, onion, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through tomatoes). Spoon carrot mixture into an 11x7 inch baking dish.
3. Trim crusts from bread, and cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Lightly coat cubes with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer over carrot mixture, pressing cubes gently into mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover cassoulet, and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the croutons are golden brown. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.