Cassoulet

Name: Cassoulet
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 500 g dried white beans (haricot tarbais or cannellini), soaked in cold water overnight; 4 confit duck legs (cuisses de canard confites), at room temperature, fat reserved; 400 g pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces; 300 g pork belly with rind, cut into 3 cm pieces; 4 Toulouse sausages (about 500 g) — or smoked pork sausages as a substitute; 1 large carrot (about 150 g), peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks; 1 large onion (about 200 g), peeled and studded with 4 whole cloves; 1 head of garlic (about 60 g), halved horizontally; 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 4 thyme sprigs + 4 parsley stalks + a piece of dried orange peel, tied); 1 pork knuckle bone or ham hock (about 400 g, optional but traditional); 200 g canned chopped tomatoes (or 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1.5 litres unsalted chicken or pork stock (or water); 60 g coarse white breadcrumbs; 1.5 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish; 2 tbsp duck fat (from the confit), for browning the meats

Cassoulet — named after the cassole, the clay pot in which it cooks — is the emblem of Languedoc's rustic cuisine: a slow-cooked white bean and meat feast of Toulouse sausages, duck or goose confit, and pork. The three towns that dispute its parentage — Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, and Toulouse — differ in their meat choices, but all insist theirs is the authentic version. The browned breadcrumb crust on top is broken and stirred back in several times during cooking, absorbing the heavy juices. Cassoulet cooks for many hours over low heat and is served directly from the pot. It is the quintessential winter dish of southern France.

Total time4h

Active time45m

Servings6

DifficultyMedium

Cost$

Add to my meal plan

❤️

Rich in protein

Filling and nutritious

❄️

Can be frozen

Great for meal prep

🕐

Slow simmered

Low and slow cooking

🍲

One-pot

Minimal washing up

Ingredients 6 servings

500 g dried white beans (haricot tarbais or cannellini), soaked in cold water overnight
4 confit duck legs (cuisses de canard confites), at room temperature, fat reserved
400 g pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
300 g pork belly with rind, cut into 3 cm pieces
4 Toulouse sausages (about 500 g) — or smoked pork sausages as a substitute
1 large carrot (about 150 g), peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
1 large onion (about 200 g), peeled and studded with 4 whole cloves
1 head of garlic (about 60 g), halved horizontally
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 4 thyme sprigs + 4 parsley stalks + a piece of dried orange peel, tied)
1 pork knuckle bone or ham hock (about 400 g, optional but traditional)
200 g canned chopped tomatoes (or 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 litres unsalted chicken or pork stock (or water)
60 g coarse white breadcrumbs
1.5 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
2 tbsp duck fat (from the confit), for browning the meats

How to make it

1The night before, place the beans in a large bowl, cover with at least 2 litres of cold water, and soak for 10–12 hours; they will roughly double in size; drain and rinse the next day.
2Make the bean stock; put the drained beans in a heavy 5-litre pot with the pork knuckle (if using), the studded onion, the halved garlic head, the carrot chunks, the bouquet garni, and 1.5 litres of cold stock; bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 50–60 minutes, until the beans are just tender but not falling apart; do not salt yet.
3Meanwhile, brown the meats; heat 2 tbsp duck fat in a wide skillet over medium-high heat; pat the pork shoulder and pork belly dry and brown in batches for 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden; lift onto a plate; in the same fat, brown the Toulouse sausages for 2–3 minutes per side just to colour the casings; add to the plate.
4Heat the oven to 160°C (320°F / fan 140°C); lift the cooked knuckle, onion, garlic, carrot, and bouquet garni out of the bean pot and discard the aromatics; pull any meat from the knuckle bone, shred coarsely, and reserve; stir the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes into the bean liquid, then taste and add 1.5 tsp salt and the pepper.
5Assemble the cassoulet in a wide 26 cm cassole (or any wide oven-safe pot); spread one-third of the beans on the bottom, then arrange the browned pork shoulder, pork belly, knuckle meat, and the cold confit duck legs on top; cover with another third of the beans, lay the browned sausages on top, then finish with the remaining beans; pour over enough bean liquid to just cover the top layer of beans — keep the rest warm for topping up.
6Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top; place the cassole in the oven, uncovered, and cook for 1 hour; the breadcrumbs will gild and form a brown crust.
7After 1 hour, break the crust by pressing it down into the cassoulet with the back of a wooden spoon — do not stir; top up with a ladle of reserved bean liquid if it looks dry; return to the oven and cook for another hour, breaking the crust again after 30 minutes, until a fresh crust has formed and the cassoulet is bubbling deeply around the edges.
8Repeat once more: break the crust, top up the liquid, and bake a final 30–40 minutes; the total oven time is about 2 h 30 m — three crusts in all; rest the cassoulet for 10 minutes out of the oven so the beans drink back the liquid; scatter with chopped parsley and serve straight from the pot, with crusty bread and a green salad.