Vegetarian Cassoulet

I love cassoulets - both the traditional with duck confit, or my own sping with a nice piece of fish. I take the same basic idea and switch a few ingredients to make it my own!

This version is vegetarian, and I use the tomatoes and kale to add a heartiness to the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups carrots, diced finely
2 cups celery, diced finely
2 cups onion, diced finely
4 cloves garlic, diced finely
3 cups kale, chopped in thin strips
6-7 sprigs of thyme, tied together
1 28oz can of plumb tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 29oz can of small white beans
2-3 cups vegetable stock
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoon butter mixed with 2 tablespoons flour

In a large sautee pan, sautee garlic, carrot, celery and onion in olive oil until tender. Add kale and cook until wilted. Add thyme bouquet, tomatoes, and 2 cups of vegetable stock and cook for 30 minutes. Add butter-flour mixture as necessary to thicken. About 30 minutes before service, bring back to a boil and add beans to cook until serving, using the extra stock to thin the mixture as necessary.

This can also be used as a pasta sauce. Or, if you up the broth to 4-5 cups and eliminate the butter-flour thickener, it is a terrific and hearty soup.