Easy Cassoulet Recipe with White Beans and Garlic Breadcrumbs (2024)

FAQs

Should cassoulet be cooked covered or uncovered? ›

The cassoulet needs to bake uncovered to develop a crisp crust. Baking sheets All of the ingredients for a cassoulet are cooked before being combined and baked again. The meat can be cooked in any number of ways; here, the pork and lamb stew meat is roasted on rimmed baking sheets so that it browns.

Cassoulet, a hearty slow-simmered stew of sausage, confit (typically duck), pork, and white beans, is one of the great hallmarks of French country cuisine. The best versions are cooked for hours until the beans and meat meld into a dish of luxuriant, velvety richness.

Add a ladle full of pork stock and put your cassoulet into the oven. Let it cook for 2 hours, pushing the crust down regularly. Sprinkle your breadcrumbs over the top, and let cook for the last hour unmolested. The crust is formed from the protein and collagen-rich stock mixing with the beans and crumbs.

Originating in the South of France, cassoulet is a profoundly hearty peasant dish that typically includes white beans, duck (or goose) confit, and sausage, through specific preparations vary from town to town. It also is supposed to take a couple of days to put together, as the flavors of the meat develop slowly.

All the ingredients for a good cassoulet can be found in most grocery stores. Purists will argue that you need to find real tarbais beans but I have found white kidney beans work just as well. They will mention that there are 3 versions of true cassoulets (Castelnaudary, Carcassone, and Toulouse).

There are three types of cassoulet – the Holy Trinity. There's the 'Father' (pork and goose), the 'Son' (mutton and partridge), and the 'Holy Ghost' (sausage, mutton, and duck).

cassoulet in American English

(ˌkæsəˈlei, French kasuːˈle) noun. a white-bean stew of French origin, often containing pork, mutton, garlic sausage, and preserved goose or duck.

Meaning of cassoulet in English

a dish of white beans cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid with meat and herbs, originally from France: I went there for a Sunday supper and they were serving cassoulet. This rustic eatery is good for a traditional cassoulet.

Usually Toulouse sausage is most commonly used in traditional french cassoulet, a sausage made from a blend of pork and duck meat. Chicken breast – I used boneless and skinless chicken breast but thighs can be substituted if that's all you have. Salt & pepper – To taste.

A good cassoulet really needs nothing else, everything is in the casserole, it's a complete dish in its own right.. About all you need is some nice crusty bread, buttered of course, a French baguette cut into thick slices is ideal.

Why is cassoulet so special? ›

Perhaps there is no dish in Southwest France more iconic, cherished, and controversial than the cassoulet. Cassoulet was originally the food of peasants - a simple assemblage of what ingredients were available: white beans with pork, sausage, duck confit, gizzards, cooked together for a long time.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, transfer it into a small baking dish, top with more breadcrumbs, and bake in a 350ºF oven until heated through and the breadcrumbs are browned. You can also freeze cassoulet in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

In the Dutch oven, arrange a layer of the bean mixture at the bottom, then the various meat, broth, and wine. End with remaining beans. Cover the top with breadcrumbs and dot with 3 tablespoons duck fat. Bake until beautifully browned and bubbly and most of the liquid has cooked away, about 1 1/2 hours.

Use a tight-fitting lid and keep it on while stewing to prevent moisture and heat loss, which can impact cooking time.

Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.

Simmering and Boiling

In the event that your goal is to keep moisture in—like when your pot of soup, stew, or sauce is already at the right consistency, but you want to keep cooking the vegetables and melding the flavors—leave the lid on to keep any more liquid from evaporating.

To reheat the cassoulet, first bring it to room temperature (this will take at least 45 minutes). Set the sausages aside. Cover with the lid of an ovenproof pan or aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more for a total of 50 minutes.