A casserole dish filled with mushroom stew and topped with a golden brown breadcrumb topping

Vegetarian cassoulet

Name: Vegetarian cassoulet
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 20g dried porcini mushrooms; 1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp; 1 leek, thinly sliced; 1 carrot, finely diced; 2 stalks celery, finely diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 200g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced; 120g shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 3 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 70g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs; 6 leaves sage, very finely chopped; 1⁄2 lemon, zested; 10g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time1 hr
Easy
Serves 4

Ingredients

20g dried porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
200g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
120g shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
70g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
6 leaves sage, very finely chopped
1⁄2 lemon, zested
10g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

STEP 1
Put the dried mushrooms in a large heatproof bowl and pour over 200ml of just-boiled water. Let the mushrooms soak for 20 minutes until very soft. Remove the mushrooms, squeezing any liquid back into the bowl. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving for later. Coarsely chop the soaked mushrooms and set aside.
STEP 2
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large casserole over a medium heat and fry the leek, carrot, celery and garlic with a good pinch of salt for 10 minutes until softened. Add the chestnut and shiitake mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until they have started to brown. Sprinkle over the paprika and cook for 1 minute.
STEP 3
Add the beans, tomatoes, thyme and bay along with the reserved porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid, stirring together. Season, bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until the beans have softened. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly.
STEP 4
Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium-high. Combine the breadcrumbs, sage and lemon zest in a large bowl. Drizzle over 1 tsp oil and toss together. Stir the parsley into the stew and season to taste. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and put under the grill for 4-5 minutes or until golden and crisp topped. Serve.