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Summer Vegetable Cassoulet With Crispy Gruyère

4.8

(39)

Summer Cassoulet Recipe
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist

Classic, meaty French cassoulet can take several shopping trips and days of preparation. But this summer-vegetable “cassoulet” requires only a spin through the produce section and a bit of free time. Instead of the traditional sausage and duck leg confit, this version skips meat altogether in favor of spiced eggplant, tomato, green beans, and big white beans cooked with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic. And rather than traditional breadcrumbs,  Gruyère, baked until golden and crisp, then crumbled over, adds texture, depth, and plenty of umami (plus they’re just plain fun). Vegetarians can skip the optional anchovy paste, but if you haven’t explored this ingredient, it’s incomparable for adding flavor. —Christian Reynoso

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1

lb. globe or Japanese eggplants, peeled in alternating strips, cut into 2" pieces

1

tsp. fennel seeds

¼

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

7

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1

tsp Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

1

lb. haricots verts or green beans, trimmed

2

oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)

4

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¾

cup dry white wine

1

Tbsp. tomato paste

1

pint cherry tomatoes

1

15-oz. can butter or corona beans, rinsed

2

cups coarsely chopped parsley

⅓

cup coarsely chopped marjoram or oregano

1

Tbsp. thyme leaves

6

oz. Gruyère or Comté cheese, coarsely grated

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°. Toss eggplant, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 6 Tbsp. oil, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a 3-qt. or 13x9" baking dish; season with black pepper. Roast on bottom rack, tossing halfway through, until golden and tender, 25–30 minutes. Let cool.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add haricots verts, season with salt, and cook, tossing every minute or so, until they start to release moisture and steam, about 5 minutes. Add anchovies, garlic, wine, and tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula to break up paste, 1 minute. Add ¾ cup water, cover pot, and cook until haricots verts are crisp-tender, 5–7 minutes.

    Step 3

    Add cherry tomatoes and butter beans, re-cover pot, and cook until tomatoes start to burst, 5–7 minutes. Remove pot from heat, uncover, and stir in parsley, marjoram, and thyme.

    Step 4

    While the beans and tomatoes are cooking, spread Gruyère out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake on top rack until melted and almost done bubbling and golden, 8–10 minutes (check often). Let cool.

    Step 5

    Using a slotted spoon, scoop tomato and bean mixture over and around eggplant in baking dish, arranging so everything is nestled together but eggplant isn’t completely covered. Pour liquid left in pot over. Remove crispy Gruyère from parchment and crumble on top of cassoulet.

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Reviews (39)

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  • 2cups chopped parsley? Really? I don’t really see any herbs in the picture. Did anyone really use 2 cups?

    • Denise

    • San Francisco

    • 7/18/2023

  • Not terribly tasty. I think my eggplants dried out in the oven...perhaps I should have covered them. I think it needs a little unami... maybe worchestershire sauce? Or a little miso?

    • Renee

    • Victoria

    • 10/15/2022

  • Absolutely delicious. I nervously made this for my French grandparents today and felt very relieved when they all said it tasted wonderful and asked me what the dish was called. I did not tell them it was a cassoulet because they are very traditional and would no dout have protested that I was butchering a classic... but as long as you don't call it a cassoulet, its a great dish.

    • LC

    • Sunshine

    • 9/22/2021

  • My three criteria for awesome recipes: Amazing & interesting flavors, ingredients that are not complicated to source, and can be put together quickly. I made it as written and we loved it. Leftovers (what little we had) were possibly more delicious the next day. I'm about to make it again tonight, this time making several additions/ substitutions to clean out the refrigerator. Wish me luck!

    • Magnolia Mer

    • Seattle, WA

    • 9/17/2021

  • First, it’s as much a cassoulet as it is a güveç, or any classic dish named for the vessel it’s cooked in. Next, as for the vegetables, what about mushrooms, onions, okra, and whatever else works well with eggplant? The crispy gruyère is cutesy, but I prefer the breadcrumb/panko/grated cheese topping. The crispy gruyère would be nice on the side for people to add as they like. I’ve made cassoulet, and the only ingredients that are evocative of that classic dish are garlic, beans, and anchovies. Please consider the dish before you throw classic names around. As a vegetable casserole, however, it’s okay but I’d add onions, mushrooms, and okra at the very least.

    • Hollis Ramsey

    • Vero Beach, FL

    • 9/6/2021

  • loved the spiced eggplant as a sausage nod. Also, I've never crisped up cheese in the oven like this before. Was fun to watch it go from shards to melted shards to crisp and golden. It's like a cheesy cracker.

    • Anonymous

    • SF, CA

    • 9/5/2021

  • this is not a cassoulet. shame on you

    • cavefish

    • KCMO

    • 9/5/2021