Vegan Cassoulet

This Vegan Cassoulet is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs vegan stew made with white beans and vegan sausage. It's packed with plant-based protein, it's very satisfying on a cold day, and it's quite easy to make. Vegans and non-vegans alike love this hearty stew.

I'll break down the steps to make this easy weeknight cassoulet so you can plan ahead and make this easily once you start cooking!

Jump to:

• What is a cassoulet?
• What kind of vegan sausage to use for cassoulet
• How to make cassoulet
• What to serve with cassoulet
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Vegan Cassoulet Recipe

What is a cassoulet?

A cassoulet is a French stew traditionally made with white beans and smoked meats (don't worry, I veganized this version!). The name "cassoulet" comes from the word "casserole" because of the casserole pan used to cook the stew. And traditional recipes can take days to prepare.

Well, obviously that wouldn't work for me! Here is a quick(ish) weeknight cassoulet recipe that's been veganized. This recipe takes about a half hour of prep and hands-on cooking, and then about 25-30 minutes of hands-off simmering. It definitely requires a little planning ahead, but can easily be made on a weeknight.

I use a combination of vegan sausages and smoked tempeh to get a wonderful, savory, slightly-spicy flavor. I sometimes add mushrooms to my cassoulet, though that is not a traditional ingredients. I just like the flavor and texture of mushrooms. 🙂

Related recipe: Vegan Stuffed Portobello Caps

Related recipe: Vegan Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans

What kind of vegan sausage to use for cassoulet

I like using a combination of different types of vegan sausages and smoked tempeh for this dish, about 1.5 - 2.5 lb total, to taste. The different types of sausage gives it more depth of flavor and texture. You can typically find vegan sausage, such as Field Roast, Impossible, or Beyond Sausage in the refrigerated section of your store. If using Field Roast, make sure to remove the plastic casing!!

You can find smoked tempeh in the refrigerated section too (it's sometimes called smoked tempeh bacon), though that is usually near the tofu by the produce section in the stores around me. The great part is that smoked tempeh is typically thinly sliced, which is perfect for this cassoulet recipe. If you can't find smoked tempeh, you can get regular kind and add a drop or two of liquid smoke to the broth for that wonderful smoky flavor. If you can't find tempeh at all, don't worry about it—just skip it or add more sausage

Do NOT substitute with tofu!! It will not work well in this recipe.

Cooking tip: I brown the sausages and tempeh whole and then slice them into bite-sized pieces. It's much easier to brown a few whole sausages on each side than to flip dozens of little pieces.

Related recipe: Vegan Sausage Zuppa Toscana

How to make cassoulet

I'll give you the steps-by-step cassoulet instructions below, but here's a breakdown for how to make this delicious vegan stew, so you can have a better picture of the recipe steps:

1. Brown the vegan sausages and/or tempeh. Remove from casserole pan.
2. Sauté diced onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
3. Add diced tomatoes, vegan broth, herbs, seasonings, and the browned sausage back to the pan. Add the white beans.
4. Simmer until desired consistency.

Related recipe: Vegan Taco Soup

What to serve with cassoulet

Cassoulet is typically just thick enough that you do not need a spoon to eat it. It's not soupy (though it definitely can be, if you prefer soup!). There's a little bit of saucy broth, but the bulk of the dish is mostly vegan sausage and white beans coated in a delicious gravy-type sauce. Because of this, cassoulet is PERFECT for serving with a toasted baguette for dipping.

You can also serve it over rice or even over mashed potatoes (think of the sauce as gravy!).

Ingredients

• 2 lb vegan sausage (whole sausages - I like to use a combination of sausages for variety, such as Field Roast, Beyond Sausage)
• 6 oz smoked tempeh (or any tempeh), thinly sliced - this is available in the refrigerated section of your store, typically next to the produce and tofu
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 small carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• ½ can diced tomatoes (7 oz)
• 2 cups vegan chicken broth (2 teaspoons no-chicken better than bouillon + 2 cups water)
• 2 (14-oz) cans white beans, such as cannellini or great northern (or 3-3.5 cups cooked white beans), drained and lightly rinsed
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms (cremini mushrooms), wiped clean thinly sliced - optional to use mushrooms!
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 2-3 sprigs fresh parsley + ¼ cup diced fresh parsley leaves for garnish (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
• Optional: a few drops of liquid smoke

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat a large casserole pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Carefully place the vegan sausages and tempeh into the oil and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Note: the tempeh will probably brown faster than the sausage, so if you can't fit it all in one pan, you can do a couple of batches of tempeh while you brown the sausage. Remove onto a plate and set aside. It's OK if you have brown bits remaining in the pan, we want that for flavor.

Step 1a: Cut the sausage and tempeh into bite-sized pieces while the work on the next to steps to make the cassoulet broth. It's OK if the sausage still has pink in the center, it will simmer in the broth for a long time.

Step 2: Add more olive oil along with the diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté over medium-low heat for 10 minutes stirring frequently, using a wooden spoon to loosen the brown sausage bits. Do not let the vegetables brown!

Step 3: Add half a can of diced tomatoes and the vegan broth, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 

Optional step 4: If you want a smoother cassoulet with a thick gravy-like sauce instead of having vegetable chunks in it, use an immersion blender to CAREFULLY puree the veggies, either completely or partially (I left a few pieces whole, as you can see). SAFETY WARNING: The both is HOT. Only use an immersion blender if you can submerge it in the liquid completely. I had to tilt the pan a little to one side to get the immersion blender to submerge. 

Step 5: Add the drained white beans, sliced mushrooms, sliced sausage, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley to the pan. Add a few drops of liquid smoke, if you like. Gently stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. 

Step 6: Allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the broth has thickened, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat, use tongs to fish out the bay leaves, parsley and thyme sprigs. Stir in fresh diced parley and serve warm.

If you’ve tried this vegan cassoulet recipe or any other recipe on my blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!!