Veggie Cassoulet

My friend Anna made this dish for me when she had me over for lunch a few weeks ago and since then, I have prepared this twice! With that being said, I didn't take the above picture because I ate it too fast to be able to take one...OINK...Instead, I snaked the above photo from Epicurious, where incidentally this delicious recipe came from.

Veggie Cassoulet

Makes four servings

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 zucchini, chopped
2 celery stalks
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups drained canellini beans, liquid reserved
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
4 slices gluten free toast (I used Genuine Bavarian Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread that can be found at your local Whole Foods or Natural Food Store)

*I also added one package of shitake mushrooms, some fresh chopped sage, and for the tomatoes I choose a can that also included chiles for a little kick!

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook zucchini, celery, onion, salt and pepper until soft, about 8 minutes. Four minutes into it add the shitake mushrooms. After veggies are soft, mix in garlic and cook, stirring, another minute. Combine veggies, tomatoes, beans, 1/4 cup of the bean liquid, thyme, sage and bay leaves in a 2qt baking dish. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve warm with toast on the side.