Aubergine and Mushroom Cassoulet with Garlic Breadcrumbs [Vegetarian Dehydrated Backpacking meal]

Here’s my recipe for the classic French stew adapted to be (a) vegetarian / vegan and (b) dehydrator-friendly.

One of the best parts of road trips through France is the food—hearty, rustic, and made-for-sharing. While my trips through French countryside towns are now less frequent than I’d prefer, the flavours of those adventures have a way of sneaking back into my kitchen, and into my trail meals. Meet this veggie cassoulet, a lighter, plant-based spin on the French classic featuring lots of aubergine, mushrooms, and beans stewed with herbs in a white wine sauce. When you chop the vegetables finely, this dish becomes a superb contender for a dehydrated backpacking meal. (As with all of my recipes, you can skip the dehydrating part and just enjoy the dish as an everyday meal!)

The magic with this dehydrated cassoulet is, for me, in the toppings (I do love my garnishes!). This recipe features garlicky, herby breadcrumbs that add crunch and depth to the warm goodness of the cassoulet. Top tip: make extra. These breadcrumbs are great sprinkled over soups, other stews, or even just a crunchy savoury snack.

Veggie cassoulet at basecamp (i.e. your home kitchen):

If enjoying some or all of this cassoulet at home, I recommend cooking in a big cast iron skillet. When finished cooking, sprinkle over your breadcrumbs, drizzle with oil, top with fresh parmesan if you’d like, then grill for a few minutes. Finish with fresh chopped parsley.

Further reading:

• This dehydrated cassoulet is inspired by veggie recipes from thechroniclesofhome.com and epicurious.com, both great recipes in their own right!
• And if you like a good breadcrumb, check out my other recipe for backpacking soba noodles with miso and ginger breadcrumbs.
• Read my in-depth guide to making your own homemade dehydrated backing meals.

Vegetarian Mushroom and Aubergine Cassoulet

4 from 1 vote

This recipe is very adaptable. Add more or less mushrooms and aubergine or other vegetables and herbs if you'd like. I sometimes like to add fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and parmesan rind (leave out the parmesan to keep it vegan). See notes for other adaptations.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Calories: 584

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the cassoulet:

• 2 leeks or onions finely sliced
• 4 carrots diced
• 3 celery ribs diced
• 500 g mushrooms quartered
• 2 aubergines diced in 1-in chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 parsley sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 cans cooked cannellini or haricot beans
• 1.5 cup white wine
• 1.5 cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste (or Biber Salcasi if you can get it) (optional)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
• 1 parmesan rind (optional)

For the garlic crumbs:

• 4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Method

 

At home:

1. In a large sauté pan or heavy pot, fry the mushrooms and aubergine in batches in a bit of olive oil, adding more as necessary, until soft and slightly browned. (You could roast them all at once in the oven for ease, but in this dish I prefer the vegetables pan-fried – it's up to you!) Remove when cooked and reserve on the side while you cook the "mirepoix".
2. In the same pan/pot, heat up some more olive oil and gently cook the leeks (or onion), carrots, celery, and garlic with the herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and a big pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, cooking until softened and golden, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste if using and cook for another couple of minutes.
4. Stir in white wine and let it bubble a bit, then add the beans, vegetable stock, and tomatoes and parmesan rind if using. Summer for about 30 minutes, until all of the vegetables are super tender. Add a good grind of pepper then check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if you'd like.

To dehydrate:

1. Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf and leave to cool. Spread the cassoulet onto dehydrator trays lined with nonstick sheets or parchment paper. Dehydrate at 63C / 145F for 8-10 hours until totally dry. Divide into portions then vac pac or store in baggies until ready to use (I recommend using within a month or two).

For the garlic breadcrumbs:

1. In the meantime, make the garlic crumbs. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Toss the breadcrumbs with the oil, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden. Vac pac or store in baggies until ready to use (these crumbs are a handy way to add flavour and crunch to all sorts of recipes!).
   

On the trail:

1. Put your cassoulet in a pot and add water to cover. Bring water to boil.
2. Simmer the cassoulet for 5-10 minutes, until all of the beans and vegetables are soft. Add more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
3. Serve topped with garlic breadcrumbs.

Notes

• If you can, start with dried beans (you’ll need about 250g of dried beans), soaked for a few hours, then boiled in water with half an onion and a bay leaf. The bean liquid can also substitute the vegetable stock.
• I like to add tomatoes but they aren’t necessary. The tomatoes add brightness and acidity, making it more of a Mediterranean bean stew. Without tomatoes, the cassoulet is more savoury and rustic, which is no bad thing! 
• Shortcut: put the onion, celery, and carrots in a food processor to chop finely, rather than chopping by hand. This is the French classic mirepoix, not traditionally used in cassoulet but helps add depth and sweetness to this sans-meat version of cassoulet.
• This recipe uses a fair bit of olive oil, which can contribute to rancidity in dehydrated food. For this reason I recommend using this within a few weeks, or store in the fridge or freezer for extra shelf life.