Easy Cassoulet
Easy Cassoulet - hearty and oh-so-filling French recipe made EASY. A one-pot meal loaded with beans, sausages, chicken, carrots and more cooked low and slow in a rich aromatic sauce topped with buttery garlicky breadcrumbs for added texture. Truly an elevated comfort food!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 40 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 pound (453 g) dried great northern beans
- 5-6 cups (1.1 -1.4 L) water
- fresh herbs (2 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs oregano)
- salt to taste
- 4 chicken thighs
- salt and pepper (, to season chicken)
- 8 ounce (224 g) thick bacon (, cut up)
- 12 ounce (336 g) sausage ((smoked; about 4 pieces))
- 1 medium onion (, chopped )
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) minced garlic
- 2 celery sticks (, diced (yields about 1 cup))
- thyme
- oregano
- 1 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 large carrots (, sliced thickly)
- 2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cup (235 ml) white wine
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) minced garlic
- 2 cups (100 g) bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped parsley
Instructions
- 1
Rinse beans and pick through and discard any foreign object. Add beans to a large pot cover with 3-4 inches of cold water. Cover and let sit overnight or 6 to 8 hours.
- 2
When ready to use drain the soaked beans rinse and add about 5-6 cups water, fresh herbs and salt. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the beans are just barely tender.
- 3
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F, if using the baking method.
- 4
Pat dry chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper or use poultry seasoning, if desired.
- 5
Place chicken skin side up in a skillet, Dutch oven OR oven safe pot/pan for about 3 minutes each side. Be very careful with the chicken; it shouldn’t burn. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- 6
Add bacon, saute for a few minutes, then add sausage - cook until bacon is cooked through and crispy. Remove bacon and sausage, set aside.
- 7
There will be some bacon drippings left in the pan/pot. Add the onion, garlic, celery, thyme, bay leaves and oregano. Cook for 2- 3 minutes – stirring frequently.
- 8
Throw in can tomatoes, beans, carrots, chicken broth/or bean stock and white wine.
- 9
Return bacon, sausages and chicken thighs to the cast iron pot, nestling them as evenly as possible among the beans.
- 10
Cover pot and bring to a boil . Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 11
Stovetop Method
- 12
Oven Method