French · Authentic-ish French
Cassoulet Vegetarien
477 kcal a serving, against 819 for the traditional version. That is 342 kcal off, or 42%, with 25.8g of protein. Serves 6. 3 hours, plus overnight soaking.
What the traditional version is
A huge earthenware pot filled with dried white beans, slow-cooked in rich homemade broth. Buried inside are whole confit duck legs, thick slices of pork belly, and coarse garlic sausages. A thick crust of breadcrumbs is baked on top, broken and stirred back into the fat multiple times to create a deeply rich, heavy sauce.
What changed, and what each change costs
Removing all the duck, pork and sausage
Cassoulet is essentially a monument to preserved meat. I take it all out and double down on the haricot beans instead. The beans are already packed with protein and they bring a fantastic creamy texture when cooked properly.
What it costs you. You lose the deep, savoury pork fat and the joy of tearing into a crispy duck leg. It becomes a bean stew. A great bean stew, but a bean stew.
Adding wild mushrooms and soy sauce
Without the meat, the broth needs help. Wild mushrooms bring an earthy, meaty chew, while a splash of soy sauce provides the missing umami punch. So: just basic kitchen logic to build flavour. Traditional was never on the table once the fat came out.
What it costs you. The flavour profile shifts slightly. It tastes heavily roasted and savoury, but lacks that specific sticky richness that only comes from melted animal collagen.
A lighter, olive oil breadcrumb crust
A traditional cassoulet crust is bound together by bubbling duck fat rising to the surface. I toss the dried breadcrumbs in a small amount of olive oil before scattering them over the dish, so they still toast and crunch in the oven.
What it costs you. It'll dry out a bit quicker on top without a constant supply of liquid fat basting it.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 819 | 477 |
| Protein | 38.7g | 25.8g |
| Fat | 49.1g | 7.2g |
| Saturated fat | 16.7g | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.5g | 77g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.7g | 5.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, soybeans, sulphites, celery.
The method is in the book
This is a totally different beast from the classic French meat-fest, but it absolutely works. The mushrooms give you something substantial to chew on, while the beans break down into a beautiful, thick sauce underneath that crispy crust. You'll get all the comfort of a slow-cooked winter stew, but you can actually go about your day afterwards instead of collapsing on the sofa.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback