Cassoulet on a weekday? It is possible! This quick and easy white bean, chicken, and sausage cassoulet comes together in about 45 minutes.
In this recipe
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How to make cassoulet on a weekday
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The best beans for easy cassoulet
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The chicken and sausage
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serving suggestions
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For storing and warming up
This is a quick and easy weekday version of a classic cassoulet, a hearty dish that can take a few days to prepare. Hailing from the Languedoc region of France, cassoulet traditionally starts with white beans, onions, tomatoes, herbs, and includes lavish ingredients like pork, sausage, duck confit, and sometimes lamb. Everything is prepared slowly over a few days and served in a clay pot under a golden bread crust.
This simpler but flavorful cassoulet is a nod to the traditional version. It’s a simple bean dish in a flavorful tomato broth that calls for bacon, chicken thighs, and Italian sausage. It’s a really comforting meal that’s easy to make on a weekday if you only have 40 minutes. Bring snow and cold, this cassoulet will keep you covered!
Sauté the bacon, onions, and garlic, and brown the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and Italian sausages in a skillet. Toss them in a casserole dish with canned beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and place under the grill for a minute or two. For a beautiful presentation, go straight to the table with the Dutch Oven. As simple as that!
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 — pour the liquid from the can into the cassoulet.
- navy beans are small and oval and famous for their use in Boston Baked Beans.
- Big beans from the north are slightly larger than white beans. They keep their shape when cooked and have a mild taste. These are my favorites for cassoulet.
- Cannellini beans are the next larger size than large northern beans and slightly fleshier than the first two.
- butter beans (aka baby lima beans) are the largest of the four.
If you prefer to cook your own dried beans, use 3 1/2 cups of cooked beans with a little cooking liquid instead of 2 cans of beans.
The chicken and sausage
Fresh Italian pork sausages are easy to find in the grocery store and are a good substitute for the traditionally used Toulouse pork sausages. You can also use garlic sausages or andouille sausages.
While fresh sausages are preferable, you can use pre-cooked ones as well. Browning is for aesthetics only, so you can skip that part and add them to the beans and cook them just long enough to warm them through.
serving suggestions
Bring the whole pot of cassoulet to the table! Put some beans and broth in bowls and top each with a piece of chicken and a sausage. Try not to disturb the crispy and delicious crumbs as you scoop them up. Serve it with a simple salad with this dressing and a baguette to mop up those delicious juices.
For storing and warming up
Store leftover cassoulet in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat the cassoulet in a small saucepan on the stovetop until warm through. You can also microwave individual servings until warmed through.
To freeze, place leftovers in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
More easy casseroles to try
- Sausage, pepper and potato casserole
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Tuna Tomato Pasta Casserole
- Easy Skillet Lasagna by Marge Perry and David Bonom
- Polenta sausage mozzarella casserole
Simple cassoulet
ingredients
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4 ounces Thick-cut baconcut into 1 inch pieces
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4 with bones, with skin chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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4 cute Italians pork sausages (Above 12 ounces)
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2 tablespoon olive oildivided
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1 Middle yellow onionfinely chopped
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3 cloves garlicchopped
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1 (14.5–Ounce) can diced tomatoes
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2 (14.5–ounce) cans large northern or navy beans
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1 small handful fresh thymetied with kitchen twine
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1 1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs
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2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsleyplus more for garnish
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BaguetteTo serve
method
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Cook bacon:
In a large skillet, sear the bacon over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bacon has released most of its fat but is not crispy. Transfer the bacon to a large plate.
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Prepare the chicken and sausage:
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and black pepper. Prick each sausage in a couple of places with the tip of a paring knife. This will prevent them from bursting while cooking.
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Cook the chicken and sausages:
In the same pan you used to cook the bacon, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. The bacon fat does not need to be drained. Add the skin-side down chicken and the sausages. You may have to do this in batches if the pan isn’t big enough. Sear the meat until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Place them one at a time on the plate with the bacon when they look done.
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Cooking onions and garlic:
Drain and discard all but a thin layer of fat from the pan. Place the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Assemble the Cassoulet:
Transfer the cooked onions and garlic to a large (at least 4 quart) Dutch Oven. Stir in the tomatoes, beans with liquid, and sprigs of thyme. Snuggle up in bacon, chicken thighs and sausage.
Bring the cassoulet to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook, uncovered, until chicken and sausages are cooked through, 15 minutes. The chicken should read 165ºF when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
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Switch on broiler:
Place a grid about 20 cm from the grill element and turn on the grill.
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Prepare breadcrumbs:
In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the parsley.
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Grill the Cassoulet:
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs from the cassoulet. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly and place the Dutch Oven in the oven to broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the top is brown. Watch it closely – this only takes a minute or two. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and sprinkle with more parsley, if you like.
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Serve cassoulet:
Scoop some beans into 4 shallow bowls. Top each bowl with a sausage and a chicken thigh. Serve with a baguette on the side and a large spoon to scoop up all those delicious juices.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1156 | calories |
| 47g | Fat |
| 117g | carbohydrates |
| 70g | protein |
