Traditionally, cassoulet is a French casserole dish that contains meat. This version gives you all the wonderful flavor of combining ingredients in a casserole but without the meat. It’s a vegetarian treat that leaves you feeling full and satisfied with a healthy punch that boosts hair growth.

Pumpkin and parsnips give this dish it’s heft and fills it with hearty goodness. They’re also ingredients that put lovely locks on your head.

Pumpkin seeds are getting a lot of attention lately for their hair-boosting abilities. But the flesh of a pumpkin is loaded with great nutrients that benefit your hair as well. 

Just one cup of cooked pumpkin has more than 200% of your daily allowance of vitamin A. It also has a lot of vitamin C, niacin, zinc, iron and more. These nutrients fuel your body and hair with strength and power that promote growth and solid structures.

Cucurbitacin, an amino acid in pumpkins has been shown to promote hair cell growth and cell division, the very activity that grows hair.

When we look at parsnips, we find a food that’s loaded with calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and iron. But it doesn’t stop there, you’ll also find vitamins B6, C, E and K, and folate, thiamin, pantothenic acid, fiber, and protein.

If you’re beginning to wonder why you don’t eat more parsnips, we were wondering exactly the same thing. All of these minerals and nutrients are vital to hair growth and a healthy scalp. 

The problem typically is that we don’t know a lot of recipes that include these ingredients. Hopefully, this cassoulet recipe will inspire you to look for new ways to eat these hair healthy foods.

Pumpkin & parsnip cassoulet

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

500 grams pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and diced

500 grams parsnip, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 – 425 gram cans mixed beans, drained

780 gram can tomatoes

1 bottle red wine

1 1/4 vegetable stock

2 large sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon sugar

75 grams fresh breadcrumbs

25 grams vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. While the oven is heating, warm up the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and fry them for about five minutes or until they’re golden in color. Add the pumpkin, parsnips, and garlic and cook for another three minutes.

Now, stir in the beans, tomatoes, wine, stock, thyme, sugar, and season to taste.

Bring the entire pan to a boil. Once boiling, transfer to a large casserole dish. Press down with your ladle to get the solid ingredients to gently form to the bottom of the dish.

Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Cover and cook in a 350° oven for 40 minutes.

Then uncover, stir well and cook for 40 minutes longer without the cover.