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cassoulet

ClubFoody avatar
Recipe by
Francine Lizotte
@ClubFoody
Surrey South, BC

This traditional French dish is packed with flavor! It's a great comfort food recipe to serve to your family this season...

yield 8 servings
prep time 20 Min
cook time 4 Hr 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For cassoulet

  • 1 lb
    (2 1/2 cups) dry white kidney beans (substitute navy, great northern or cannellini), soaked overnight in plain water
  • 1 tsp
    ground himalayan sea salt, and more for seasoning
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste (i always use mixed peppercorns)
  • 2 Tbsp
    duck fat
  • 8 oz
    cured salt pork, cubed
  • 1 lb
    kielbasa sausage (substitute saucisses de toulouse or garlic sausage), casing removed and cut into 2-inch pieces and halved
  • 4 lg
    chicken drumsticks
  • 2 lb
    boneless lamb shoulder, fat removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 c
    yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 1/2 c
    carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 c
    celery, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 lg
    cloves garlic, pressed
  • 4 lg
    vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 Tbsp
    herbes de provence
  • 1 tsp
    dried thyme leaves
  • 1 c
    dry white wine
  • 4 c
    low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 lg
    bay leaves
  • 1 c
    panko® breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbsp
    parsley, chopped

How To Make cassoulet

  • 1
    Drain the soaked beans, transfer to a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover the beans by 2-inches; add salt. Bring it to a boil and when it gets there, reduce the heat; simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off the foam. When cooked, drain them well and if desired, collect the broth; set aside.
  • 2
    Season lamb cubes and drumsticks with salt and pepper; set aside
  • 3
    Preheat oven to 350ºF/177ºC
  • 4
    In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add duck fat and when it gets hot, add cured salt pork. Cook until brown, stirring continuously, about 5 to 6 minutes. When it’s done, scoop it up into a large bowl, using a slotted spoon; set aside.
  • 5
    Reduce the heat to medium and add the sausage pieces; sauté until brown. Scoop the meat out of the pot and add it to the pork.
  • 6
    Return to the Dutch oven and add drumsticks. Cook until brown all around and no longer pink. Transfer the drumsticks to the bowl along with the other meats.
  • 7
    Add lamb cubes to the pot and sauté until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scoop them up with a slotted spoon, add to the bowl as well and set aside.
  • 8
    Skim off most of the fat from the pot to a bowl, leaving about 2 tbsp.; set aside. Add onions and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to dislodge any brown bits. To this, add carrots and celery; sauté them for 2 minutes. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • 9
    Add garlic and sauté for only 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes and stir to combine before seasoning with Herbes de Provence, thyme leaves and freshly ground black pepper; stir until mixed.
  • 10
    Return all the meat to the pot including any accumulated juices. Add beans, white wine and chicken broth or broth from the beans if preferred. With the back of a spoon, press it down to cover the beans with the liquid.
  • 11
    Make a little well in the center and add our bay leaves; cover back with the beans. Spoon about 2 to 3 tbsp. of the reserved fat on top, crack more pepper and add salt.
  • 12
    Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 3 hours.
  • 13
    Half an hour later, press down again on the beans to submerge them to prevent from drying out; continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
  • 14
    Meanwhile in a bowl, combine Panko breadcrumbs with fresh chopped parsley; mix well and set aside.
  • 15
    When 30 minutes is up, evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top. Return the pot to the oven and cook for 1 hour.
  • 16
    60 minutes later, gently press down on the breadcrumbs to help absorb some liquid. Return the pot to the oven for the remaining hour.
  • 17
    When the time is up, remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving
  • 18
    To view this recipe on YouTube, click on this link >>>> https://youtu.be/WbyCbAGa8oM
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