White Bean Cassoulet

Another recipe from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

White Bean Cassoulet

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced
2 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp mellow white miso paste dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot (not boiling) water
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked or two 15-oz cans Great Northern, navy, or other white beans, rinsed and drained if canned
One 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cups vegetable stock or water, or more as needed
1/2 cup dry toasted bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and parsnips. Cover and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Blend the mustard into the miso mixture and stir it into the vegetables. Add the marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the beans and tomatoes in a lightly oiled casserole dish. Add the vegetables mixture and enough stock just to cover the ingredients, stirring to combine.

Cover and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parsley and serve hot.

My Notes: I didn't want to run all over town trying to find "mellow white miso paste," so I just left that ingredient out. I must've cooked the vegetables for 15-20 minutes (because last time Nigel felt that the onions were "not soft enough") and even after baking for 45 minutes, the carrots were still crunchy. How is that even possible? Can someone please explain to me why I would need to "chop" the diced tomatoes? They're already diced! I didn't have any toasted bread crumbs (and I wasn't about to make some), but I did have croutons. So when I served it, I put a handful of croutons in the bottom of each bowl and ladled the cassoulet on top. It was quite tasty. Again, this is supposed to serve 4, but it's more like 6 (which is good because I'm going to need some for tomorrow's dinner -- it's my nephew's going away dinner and he has requested meat, meat, and more meat).