1 ½ cups dried cannellini beans
¼cup combined olive oil and butter
1 small onion
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
4 chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 fresh bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme
smoked tempeh (1 package)
4 vegetarian sausages (large ones, not the breakfast link size)
⅛ cup butter/olive oil
½ cup fine bread crumbs
Cook dried beans.
Melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook for around 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook several minutes more.
Add two cups strong vegetable stock. (I use liquid from the cooked beans, strengthened with good quality vegetable bouillon. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and herbs. Lay tempeh strips on top. Simmer for one hour.
Meanwhile, melt butter and oil in a skillet, and fry whole sausages, turning so that they are thoroughly browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add bread crumbs to skillet and fry lightly until toasted and all remaining oil is absorbed. Set these aside as well.
Arrange sausages on top of cassoulet and place in a 350℉ oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Top with bread crumbs and cook for another 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.