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Cassoulet is a hearty slow-simmered stew of sausage, pork or chevon, and white beans. It is one of the great hallmarks of French cuisine. This tasty dish is made with white beans (haricots blancs or lingots).
This recipe is very quick, easy and it comes together in about no time.
Cassoulet: A Little Background
Cassoulet is rooted in the Languedoc province of southwest France going back to as early as the mid 1300s. It was originally baked in an earthenware dish, a casserole, hence the name cassoulet.
The dish calls for duck confit, a time-honored way the French preserve duck before modern refrigeration. It traditionally also calls for a plethora of meats such as pork, sausage, lamb, salt pork, bacon, ham hocks, pork skin, and pork shoulder.
There are many regional versions of cassoulet, the best ones coming from a home kitchen. That gives you some license to improvise with ingredients you can source.
Try not to stray too far afield from the spirit of the dish—white beans, flavorful meats, aromatics, and breadcrumbs baked until tender, brothy, and deeply flavorful—and you will have a memorable meal to share with family and friends.
The Best Beans For Easy Cassoulet
White beans are best. There are four readily available types of canned beans to choose from for this recipe. Don’t drain and rinse the beans—add the liquid in the can into the cassoulet.
- Navy beans are small and oval-shaped and famous for their use in Boston baked beans.
- Great northern beans are slightly larger than navy beans. They hold their shape well when cooked and have a mild flavor. These are my favorite for cassoulet.
- Cannellini beans are the next size up from great northern beans and a little meatier than the first two.
- Butterbeans (aka baby lima beans) are the largest of the four.
If you prefer to cook your own dried beans, use 3 1/2 cups cooked beans with some of the cooking liquid instead of two cans of beans.
How to Make Cassoulet
Cook the bacon, onions, and garlic, and brown the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and Italian sausages in a skillet. Throw them into a Dutch oven with canned beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and pop it under the broiler for a minute or two. Walk the Dutch oven straight to the table for a beautiful presentation. It’s that easy!
Serving Suggestions
Cassoulet is rich and stewy, with a fragrant meaty broth. A simple green salad and hunks of torn baguette to dip into the broth are all you need to complete the meal.
Serve it with a light red wine such as Beaujolais or Cahors, a full-bodied rosé, or chilled dry white wine.
Storage And Reheating
Store any leftover cassoulet in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the cassoulet in a small pot on the stovetop until heated through. You could also microwave individual portions until heated through.
To freeze, spoon leftovers into an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it as described above.
Here is a quicker and printable recipe that shows you how to make this recipe. Enjoy!
Cassoulet
Ingredients
For the Goat Meat
- 1 kg goat meat
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 cloves
- 1 whole all spice
- 3 tbsp garlic
- 1 bouillon cube
- salt
For the Beans
- 2 lbs canned cannellini beans
- 2 cups broth
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 onion, large and finely diced
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- potash pea sized
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bouillon cube
- kosher salt
Instructions
For the Goat Meat
- Mix all ingredients, add water and cook for 1 hour.
- Remove the goat meat from the stock and fry until golden. Set aside
For the Beans
- Drain and rinse beans and set aside.
- Heat the oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes.
- Add tomato, seasoning broth, pepper, goat meat, tomato paste, potash and cook 5 minutes.
- Add drained beans. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce to low, cover a small bite, about 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition