Mock Cassoulet

This is a picture of the Mock Cassoulet before it was baked and covered in breadcrumbs. My camera is I think at this point truly broken and so there is no picture of this dish after it was complete. Anyway, this recipe is adapted from a recipe in the cookbook, The Dinner Doctor. The premise of the book is to make nice food from simple and easy pre-prepared foods, i.e. canned, frozen and pre-cooked. There are several recipes in this book that are regulars at our house. This is my first time trying this one but I will definitely use it again. Serendipitously, I just acquired a jar of Herbes de Provence 2 days ago. I have always wanted to try cooking with it but I never have the right mix of spices. I have a lot of spices but the one I never have on hand that is typical of this mix is lavender. I ran across this spice mix while checking out a new eatery in town. I was absolutely thrilled to walk in this shop and see great herb mixes and pasta and best of all real Italian deli meats(for which I am constantly on the lookout). More on the new eatery later.

The recipe I had for Mock Cassoulet was intended to cook on the stove top but I wanted to cook it in oven so I altered the recipe a bit. Also I wanted to add a bit more veggies and wine. So here is my version:

Mock Cassoulet (or Bean and Sausage Casserole)

1 lb kielbasa sausage cut on the diagonal into one inch slices
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cans Great Northern Beans with their liquid
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 of a green pepper, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
Aprox. 1/4 cup wine(white or red), enough to deglaze the pan
1 rounded teaspoon Herbs de Provence or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 tblsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs

Brown sausage in a pan. Then add onion, pepper and celery and saute a couple of minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and then add herbs, beans, tomatoes, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and let simmer a few minutes. Mix together the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the breadcrumbs and season with salt. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with breadcrumbs and put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes to brown crumbs. Serve with a green salad and french bread.