Rich, Rustic and delicious… Give this cassoulet a try soon!
Sometimes when Dan is off writing his cookbooks and experimenting with spices, I like to get in the kitchen and whip up something a little closer to home. Cassoulet is a dish that brings back great memories of driving through France as a kid. While my dad, brothers, sister and me would be off playing in the waves of the Atlantic or canoeing in a nearby lake, my mother would fire up the stove and slowly cook a cassoulet for hours. It was so nice to come back to.
About this recipe.
Cassoulet is a slow-cooked casserole of white beans, confit duck, sausages, and pork, all simmered in a rich, flavourful broth until the flavors meld together perfectly.
Now, I’ll be honest — this isn’t one of those quick, 30-minute recipes. Cassoulet is a labor of love, much like a good curry, and it’s all about building layers of flavor. The beauty of this dish is that you can make it ahead of time, and it actually tastes better the next day once all those rich, meaty flavors have soaked into the beans.
Why you'll love this recipe.
If you’re a fan of slow-cooked, meaty dishes packed with deep, rich flavours, then you absolutely have to try making a traditional Cassoulet. This classic dish hails from the southwest of France — specifically the Languedoc region — and is the ultimate one-pot comfort food.
By the way, it goes very nicely with a light green salad like this salad nicoise.
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Ingredients
It's always a good idea to get all your ingredients prepared and ready before starting a dish like cassoulet.
- Toulouse sausages (or any high-quality pork sausage)
- pork shoulder or belly
- pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
- onion
- garlic
- bay leaves
- fresh thyme
- chicken stock
- tomato purée
- duck confit legs (available pre-cooked in jars or tins in most supermarkets)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Canned cannelloni beans
- fresh breadcrumbs
- duck fat (from the confit) or olive oil
- chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step photographs of cassoulet
As you'll see in the photos, there is quite a lot to this dish but it's really not difficult. Just wait until you try the amazing flavour of cassoulet!
- Step 1: Melt a couple tablespoon of the fat from the duck confit or light olive oil in a pot over a medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Add the sausage and fry to brown. You might need to do this in two batches. Don't overcrowd your pan. Transfer the browned sausages to a plate and set aside.
- Step 3: Do the same with the pork, again ensuring that you don't overcrown the pan. The pork should cook in one layer.
- Step 4: Transfer the pork to the plate with the browned sausages.
- Step 5: Add the lardons and let them brown all over for a few minutes.
- Step 6: Stir in the chopped onions and garlic and fry for a further couple of minutes to soften.
- Step 7: Do the same with the pork, again ensuring that you don't overcrown the pan. The pork should cook in one layer.
- Step 8: Transfer the pork to the plate with the browned sausages.
- Step 9: Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer.
- Step 10: Stir in the cannelloni beans.
- Step 11: Return the browned sausages and pork to the pot.
- Step 1: Nestle the duck legs on top, pushing them into the sauce but leaving some exposed to brown in the oven.
- Step 13: Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours at 160°C/320°F. Check it every 30 minutes and push down any beans that have risen to the top.
- Step 14: While the cassoulet is in the oven, toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown.
- Step 15: Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over it all. There will be a lot of sauce but it will cook down. Return the pot to the oven to cook, uncovered for another 30 minutes.
- Step 18: As you can see, after 30 minutes in the oven, uncovered the sauce thickens nicely. Garnish with the fresh, chopped parsley.
Equipment
Other then frying the breadcrumbs, this is really a one pot dish. For this recipe you will need:
✔ Large Dutch Oven or Casserole Dish – A heavy, ovenproof pot (like Le Creuset I use is ideal for slow-cooking and developing flavors. If you don’t have one, use a deep baking dish and cover with foil But you might need a pan for browning all the ingredients before layering them in the baking dish.
✔ Large Stockpot – Needed for cooking the beans and preparing the broth should you decide to make your own stock or cook dried beans.
✔ Skillet or Frying Pan – To brown the meats, sausages, and duck confit before adding them to the cassoulet. For this recipe, I only used mine to toast the breadcrumbs.
Storage
You can store your cassoulet in the fridge in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days. Then just reheat it in the oven, covered at 160°C/320°F for about an hour or until heated through. If it looks dry, you can add a little more stock as the cassoulet will naturally dry some while in the fridge.
You can also freeze this dish for up to 6 months. If you decide to do so, be sure to label and date the containers. It is a good idea to freeze it in convenient sized portions.
Top Tip
Use dried beans instead of canned ones for the best texture and flavor. Soak them overnight and cook them slowly to avoid them becoming mushy. Then you can add them to the cassoulet when you add the canned beans in this recipe.
FAQ
Yes! In fact, cassoulet tastes better the next day as the flavors deepen.
✔ Cook it one day in advance, then let it cool and refrigerate overnight.
✔ Reheat it in the oven at 160°C (320°F) for about an hour, adding a little water or stock if needed.
✔ Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. The resting time allows the flavors to meld beautifully—it’s the secret to an incredible cassoulet!
A proper cassoulet includes a variety of rich, slow-cooked meats. The most traditional version includes:
✔ Duck confit – Essential for that deep, classic flavor.
✔ Pork (belly, shoulder, or sausage) – Adds fat and richness.
✔ Toulouse sausages – Authentic, but you can substitute with garlic sausages or bratwurst.
✔ Lamb (optional) – Some regional variations include lamb for extra depth.
Traditional cassoulet is made with white beans, typically Tarbais beans from southwest France. However, if you can’t find them, like me, you can use:
✔ Great Northern beans – Mild and creamy.
✔ Cannellini beans – Slightly softer but still work well. These are what you use in this recipe.
✔ Navy beans – A smaller but good substitute.
No. You can do the whole thing on your stove and then just cook it down until you have a nice thick sauce and all of the meat is tender. Toast your breadcrumbs a little longer so that they are are deep golden brown and top the cassoulet at the end with them.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Cassoulet Recipe
Cassoulet is one of my favourite dishes and when you try this you'll see why. The slow cooking method make the meat so tender and that flavour!! This is rustic French cousine at its very best.
Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb.) Toulouse sausages (or any high-quality pork sausage)
- 450g (1 lb) pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 150g (⅓ lb.) pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato purée
- 4 duck confit legs (available pre-cooked in jars or tins in most supermarkets)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 x 400g (14oz) tins (cans) cannelloni beans
- FOR THE BREAD TOPPING
- 100g (3.5oz) fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon duck fat (from the confit) or olive oil
- Handful of chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Add a little duck fat (from the confit) or olive oil. When the fat/oil begins to shimmer, stir in the sausages and fry until they're golden brown on all sides. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Next, brown the pork shoulder pieces in the same pan until deeply caramelized. This step is crucial for building flavour, so don’t rush it. Once browned, transfer to the bowl with the sausages.
- Add the pancetta or bacon lardons and cook until crispy, then stir in the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes until the onions soften and start to caramelize.
- Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes to intensify the flavour. Then pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot — that’s where all the flavour is.
- Add the bay leaves, thyme, beans, browned sausages and browned pork. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Bring it all to a simmer. Then stir in the cannelloni beans.
- Nestle the duck confit legs into the pot, making sure they’re partly submerged but still visible on top. Cover the pot and transfer it to a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for 2 hours.
- Every 30 minutes, check the cassoulet and gently press down any exposed beans into the liquid to prevent them from drying out.
- While the cassoulet is cooking, you can prepare the breadcrumbs. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Once the cassoulet has been cooking for 2 hours, sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top and return it to the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to develop a beautifully crisp, golden crust.
- When the cassoulet is bubbling and golden, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. This allows the flavours to settle and the sauce to thicken.
- Serve generous portions with crusty bread and a fresh green salad.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 594Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 4099mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 30g
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