This meatless French vegan Cassoulet is extra delicious with beans, tempeh, herbs, mushrooms and more veggies. It's budget-friendly and, at 211 calories a serving, it's also waist-friendly. Vegan, gluten-free and nut-free recipe.
You might also enjoy these recipes for vegan French stews: mushroom ragout and mushroom bourguignon.
What about those French, huh?
Cheese and wine do not make them fat. They give us French fries and crème brûlée and while the rest of us morph into couch potatoes, they stroll down their classy arondissements with the Eiffel Tower for a backdrop, looking chic and magnifique as can be. They can even sit down in a restaurant, order the Cassoulet, a dish layered with four or five different kinds of meat, and glide out with not a single ounce of animal fat clinging to their flawless waistlines. Jamais!
So there I am in Paris with Desi, and it was a few years ago so things could have undergone a sea change, but at the time I am vegetarian leaning to vegan and looking for some of that wonderful French food to come my way. I want to sit at an outdoor table at a bistro with my one true love, the wind from the Seine blowing through my hair, eating something very hip and incredibly tasty -- not stuff served to me sans fromage or sans oeufs or sans flavor. Come on, French people, didn't you give us ratatouille?
Mais non. I was out of luck and pretty much out of food in the world's most gastronomically famed country. And because I still hold a grudge against the French for starving me, I've taken their very meaty Cassoulet and turned it completely vegan. Yes, sir, I have.
Yeah, yeah, I know. They will look down their élégant noses and say it's not really Cassoulet. So they won't stick three Michelin stars on it, but you know what? We loved it and if they eat it, I will guarantee they'll love it too.
This Cassoulet, which translates into a warm, cushy, comforting stew, is full of nutty white beans, vegetables including mushrooms and carrots and celery, and it is fragrant with herbs including parsley, bay, thyme and sage. You have my full permission to change up the vegetables. In fact, experiment to your heart's content. Just make sure that you stay consistent with cooking times. The herbs are indispensable-- they add that rich smokiness that makes this vegan Cassoulet so, so good -- so don't leave them out. I added some tempeh cubes to the mix, for the protein, and they tasted wonderful-- firm enough to add texture while still remaining soft and creamy inside.
Here's the recipe. Adieu for now, mes amis. And (putting on my best Julia Child voice), bon appétit!
More vegan stew recipes
Recipe card
Vegan Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried white beans (or 3 cups canned, drained and washed. If using dry beans, soak overnight and cook until tender. Great northern or navy beans will do)
- 8 oz tempeh (cut in ½-inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- 2 stalks of celery (diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (finely minced, or crushed into a paste)
- 15 cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced. Use any kind-- wild mushrooms would be great here. I used crimini because I always have them on hand.)
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
- 1 tablespoon sage (chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 tablespoon thyme (chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- ½ cup red wine (optional)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan.
- Add the tempeh cubes and saute, stirring frequently, until the tempeh is golden-brown.
- Add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper and saute the vegetables about five minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and the wine. Cook until the moisture from the vegetables and all of the water has evaporated.
- Add the tomatoes and beans along with a cup of water or vegetable stock, bay leaves, sage, parsley and thyme.
- Bring to a boil and turn the heat to a level where it boils gently. You can add more water at this time if the stew is too thick for your liking.
- Check salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and serve hot with some crusty French bread.
Nutrition Information
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Miriam Attard says
Delish! I grew up with traditional cassalaut, so I baked this with breadcrumbs on top. Comforting, filling winter dinner.
Cindy says
Delicious! I was craving cassoulet a couple days ago, so I found this recipe online and made it last night. Yum! We enjoyed it beside the roaring fire with some crusty wheat sourdough and red table wine and loved it!
I used canned Great Northern beans from Trader Joe’s instead of dry, and I added a little more red wine and some Bragg’s Amino acid for the salt and smokiness. I also used a not chick’s bouillon cube. Next time, I think I’ll put in one more can of beans and use portobello mushrooms instead of crimini. Otherwise, it was très magnifique! Merci!
Lindsey says
I'd like to make this in advance. Does it freeze well?
Vaishali says
Yes, just make sure you store it in a freezer-safe container and reheat before serving. It should be good for three months in the freezer.
Daniel says
I smoke marinated and fried extra firm tofu instead of tempeh, added 6 roasted vegan sausages instead of mushrooms, and added a tin, 400g, of plum tomatoes, chopped, threw in 200g frozen spinach at the end. Very good recipe, thank you!?
Vaishali says
Yum, that sounds delicious! Great additions, thanks for sharing with all of us.
David says
If I want to feed 24 people tiny bowls (4oz) of this do I need to double it?
Vaishali says
For 24 people you would need to double or even triple it.
Ricky says
I’ve made this recipe several times and we absolutely love it! I make two changes to the recipe: (1) I use smoky tempeh, which gives the stew a more authentic cassoulet flavor, in my opinion; and (2) I use vegetable stock instead of water. A third modification I sometimes do is add a little bit more red wine than is called for in the recipe to amp up the richness.
All-in-all, this is a fantastic vegan meal that really shines! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Anne says
Can I use dried sage? The fresh stuff is hard to come by where I live
Peter says
I tried this vegan cassoulet and my wife and I loved it. Instead of tempeh, we used four “Hot Italian Beyond Sausage” vegetarian sausages. We cut them into 2” pieces and sautéed them first, before adding in the onions, garlic and carrots.
We also added a couple of diced potatoes to help soak up the sauce. It was delicious. The next time we cook this recipe, we’ll try increasing the portions of parsley, sage and thyme.
Vaishali says
So happy you loved it!
Katie says
How long do you let the dish simmer before removing from heat and serving, typically? Thanks, this looks great!
Chris G. says
I don’t see anything about how much liquid you should use for this. Can you please clarify the recipe?
Vaishali says
Hi, add a cup of water along with the beans and then add more depending on how thick -- or thin-- you want the stew to be.
Denise says
This was a nice recipe and my family loved it, thank you for sharing it! Ate on the leftovers for two days and they got better after aging. 🙂
Vaishali says
Denise, so happy to hear. Thanks for letting me know. ❤️
Becky Rose says
This is really really good. So hearty and warming.
I added some vegan black pudding which was a yummy addition, instead of tempeh.
I also added some better than boullion chicken stock. And left out the celery (because we had none ! )
Thanks for this recipe what a lovely way to get some protein
MP says
Simple and delicious, especially when served with a French Baguette!
Emily says
Hello! I want to make this, but I am confused about adding water. It says to "cook until...all of the water has evaporated" and to "add more water if the stew is too thick," but it never mentions adding water in the first place. When do I add water, and how much water do I add? Thanks!
Vaishali says
There will be some moisture from the beans and tomatoes, but add more water if you want it runnier. I'd start out with no more than a cup. If needed, thin out more to your liking.
Marilyn Laughlin says
The next time you are in Paris try the vegan cassoulet at Le Grenier de Notre Dame. I have been there the last two years and their veggie and vegan food is delicious! They even have a few sidewalk tables. The address is 18 Rue de la Bucherie 75005 Paris. It's just down the street from Shakespeare and Company bookstore.
Vaishali says
Lovely, thanks for the suggestion!