There was a basket at the farm market full of what looked like giant radishes. Some of them were the size of softballs. The farmer said they were Scarlet Queen Turnips. She said they’re sweeter than small radishes or turnips and good for having as a raw snack, grating on salads, or roasting. I bought one and it was enough to try snacking (some of us liked it and some didn’t), roasting, and then I chopped the rest to put in this vegetable and bean casserole.
This is a simplified version of an idea I got from the January 2011 Vegetarian Times (pg. 62) but never made because the original was too time consuming. You can put whatever root vegetable you like in place of the scarlet queen turnip. This is a good meal to use up produce; I added a chopped celery stalk with the leaves.
Winter Vegie Bean Bake
2 T coconut oil
2 C chopped scarlet radish, fennel bulb, rutabaga, or other winter root
2 cups chopped carrots
2 C chopped onion
6 minced cloves garlic
2 cans white beans (cannellini, great northern, etc.)
1 T thyme
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 C water or broth
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (opt.)
1 C breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add scarlet radish, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cover, and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are getting soft and bottom of pan is browning. Remove pot from heat, and stir in beans, thyme, parsley, vinegar, and cheese, using spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot. Add cup of liquid and stir well to combine.
Top with breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes, or until top browns. Cool 5-10 minutes, if you can wait, to let set.
