Golden Beet Cassoulet Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Fall

by:

September24,2014

4.3

3 Ratings

  • Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

I'm always ready for fall. I love the crisp weather, color change, football, and the re-emergence of comforting stews and soups. This was my dinner last night from my weekend farmers market haul, served with an end-of-summer white wine, and eaten on the porch with a blanket in my lap. Enjoy! —

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus is a physician living in Cleveland, Ohio.
WHAT: An inventive, one-pot meal for winter vegetables.
HOW: Sauté vegetables and herbs in butter in a large sauté pan until cooked. Add milk, additional butter, and flour to make a creamy roux to coat the vegetables, then add beans. Top with garlicky bread crumbs.
WHY WE LOVE IT: As Emily says, this is the perfect meal for fall—it's simple to pull together, makes use of some of our favorite fall produce, and is designed to be eaten from a bowl on a chilly evening. If you need us, we'll be enjoying it outside with a blanket and a bottle of white wine—its bright colors will blend right in with the foliage. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • For the cassoulet:
  • 4 tablespoonsbutter, divided
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 2 turns (about 1/8 teaspoon) freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 bunch golden beets (about 5 medium-sized beets), peeled, trimmed of roots and stems, cut into 3/4-inch dice, greens reserved
  • 1/4 teaspoonwhite pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspooncelery seed
  • Leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoonsall-purpose flour
  • 1 cupmilk
  • Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
  • 2 whole cloves
  • one 15-ounce can cannellini beans
  • 1/4 cupdry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
  • Reserved beet greens, ribs removed, washed and chopped
  • For the garlic breadcrumbs:
  • 2 tablespoonsbutter
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cupfresh, white bread crumbs
  • Pinch of salt and white pepper
Directions
  1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven with a lid. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery with salt, white pepper, bay, celery seed, and thyme, until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the golden beet root (set greens aside for later in the process) and continue to cook 3 to 5 minutes additional minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.
  2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the mixture and allow to melt before adding the flour. Stir and cook the flour 2 minutes. Add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, and scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of your pot. Season with fresh nutmeg and add the cloves. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes at a low simmer until the milk has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point you can remove the cloves (unless you think you can still find them once the beans have been added!)
  3. Add the cannellini beans, then Add your white wine and the reserved beet greens, and stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid and let the beet greens wilt, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. While the greens are wilting, make the garlic breadcrumbs: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with one clove of minced garlic in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss the breadcrumbs in the butter and salt and pepper, and stir constantly until brown and toasty. Serve the cassoulet in bowls topped with the garlicky bread crumbs.

Tags:

  • Stew
  • Bean
  • Vegetable
  • Beet
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Clove
  • Milk/Cream
  • Nutmeg
  • Thyme
  • Fall
  • Vegetarian
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Recipe with Beans
  • Your Best One-Pot Meal

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Meleyna Nomura

  • Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus

  • jillianfrank

Popular on Food52

3 Reviews

jillianfrank April 22, 2020

Excellent! I baked it in the oven for 20 minutes and browned the top under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Meleyna N. November 11, 2015

This was good! I had to cook mine a bit longer to get the beets cooked all the way through, though. I also added some grated Parm to the breadcrumbs after toasting because I couldn't help myself. The clove and nutmeg were brilliant additions.

Emily |. November 5, 2015

Wow, Linda Xiao, thank you for the most beautiful photo!

Golden Beet Cassoulet Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat golden beetroot raw? ›

Gold beets can be consumed raw and are popularly shaved, shredded, julienned, or spiralized into salads, slaws, and soups. They can also be pickled for extended use, pureed for sauces, or blended into smoothies.

What do golden beets taste like? ›

Golden beets have an earthy, sweet flavor that's milder than red beets, which may taste bitter to some depending on the variety. Roasting is the perfect cooking method to enhance the natural sweetness of golden beets.

What can I substitute golden beets with? ›

What are the Best Substitutes for Beet?
  • Carrots. Carrots are a wonderful and versatile alternative to beets in many recipes. ...
  • Butternut squash. ...
  • Sweet potatoes. ...
  • Parsnips. ...
  • Turnips. ...
  • Rutabaga. ...
  • 7 Celery root. ...
  • Kohlrabi.
Jan 10, 2023

Who should not eat raw beetroot? ›

Who Should Avoid Beetroot? Beets are high in oxalates, which can lead to kidney stones. If you've had kidney stones, avoid beets or eat them only as a rare treat. Oxalates can also contribute to gout, a type of arthritis, so eat beets sparingly if you're at risk.

Which is healthier red or golden beets? ›

The Verdict Based on Health Benefits:

Golden best vs red beets in terms of health benefits is essentially a tie, they have almost the exact same health benefits!

Are golden beets anti-inflammatory? ›

Golden beets contain betalains, which have anti-inflammatory properties. This makes them beneficial for individuals dealing with inflammatory conditions. The high vitamin C content in golden beets is crucial for a robust immune system, helping the body fight off infections and illnesses.

Are golden beets good for your liver? ›

Are golden beets good for your liver? Research suggests that the betalain pigments found in beets, including golden beets, may have protective effects on liver cells by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Are golden beets good for blood pressure? ›

Beets contain chemicals that might reduce swelling and cholesterol. Also, beet can increase levels of a chemical called nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide can affect blood vessels, possibly reducing blood pressure and making it easier to exercise. Beets contain chemicals that might reduce swelling and cholesterol.

Can you eat golden beet skins? ›

(Some people are happy to leave the skins on; they are fine to eat.)

Can you eat the greens from golden beets? ›

They're also 100% edible! This root's magenta or golden yellow bulbs usually get all the love. But next time you remove the veggie's long, lush green leaves, don't toss them into the compost! Not only are beet greens good for you, but they taste incredible when properly cooked.

What makes beets taste better? ›

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

Are beets healthier raw or cooked? ›

Cooking beets won't give you the same health benefits because heat destroys betalain pigments and hampers nitrates, but it's still good for your health. To preserve the maximum health benefits, grate raw beets into salads or steam/roast beets just long enough to tenderize them.

Is golden beet skin edible? ›

Sometimes beets are peeled before cooking. They may also be scrubbed and cooked until tender with their skins on; the skins slip off fairly easily after cooling. (Some people are happy to leave the skins on; they are fine to eat.)

Do golden beets taste different than red beets? ›

Overall, tasters found the golden beets “less sweet” than red beets, with a stronger earthy flavor; one taster commented that they tasted “carrot-like.” In contrast, the Chioggia beets were “mild,” with a “bitter aftertaste,” but they got bonus points for their striking appearance when raw (the markings fade to a solid ...

Are golden beets good for you? ›

As with most orange- and yellow-colored plant-based foods, golden beets are known to be a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, flavonoids, potassium, and more. As you can see, golden beets are an incredibly rich source of many health-promoting nutrients.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rueben Jacobs

Last Updated:

Views: 6198

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (77 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rueben Jacobs

Birthday: 1999-03-14

Address: 951 Caterina Walk, Schambergerside, CA 67667-0896

Phone: +6881806848632

Job: Internal Education Planner

Hobby: Candle making, Cabaret, Poi, Gambling, Rock climbing, Wood carving, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.