White Bean Casserole

I wouldn't call it a veggie cassoulet, but I used some of the same techniques such as breaking the breadcrumbs back into the liquid as it bakes.

I used what I had, but I don't see any reason that you couldn't adapt it to the contents of your fridge.

You Will Need:

4 cups cooked white beans (I cooked mine with 2 bay leaves) with a cup of the cooking liquid reserved
1 cup of roasted red pepper spread (my recipe is HERE but store bought will do)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped baby arugula
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons sweet (not smoked) paprika
1 tablespoon preserved lemon peel-chopped
1/4 cup chopped green and black olives
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs toasted in a pan with clarified butter
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 cup Munster cheese, grated

Slices of fried polenta for serving-if you like.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook the shallots and onions for a minute until softened. Add arugula, parsley, thyme, lemon peel, olives and paprika. Cook another minute until combined. Add red pepper sauce and the drained white beans. Add the reserved bean liquid and simmer for another minute or so. Test salt level-adjust as needed keeping in mind the cheese and breadcrumbs will add salt.

Transfer to a casserole dish and top with cheese. Toss on about 1/4 of the breadcrumbs. Bake fifteen minutes. Using the back of a large spoon, cut the topping back into the bubbling beans to soak up more liquid. Depending on how wet the mixture is, add up to another cup of breadcrumbs and let bake another fifteen minutes before again cutting into the casserole. This should be enough, but if it is still quite liquid, you can repeat the procedure again. Bake until the top is nicely crisped.

Serve hot over slices of polenta fried in olive oil.