Quick Cassoulet Recipe - French Pork and Bean Casserole

pork sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Chicken sausage reduces fat while maintaining flavor.

white beans

🥗Healthier: cannellini beans

💰Cheaper: navy beans

Navy beans are often less expensive and still creamy.

chicken thighs

🥗Healthier: chicken breast

💰Cheaper: bone-in chicken thighs

Bone-in thighs are usually cheaper and add more flavor.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Canola oil is a cost-effective alternative for cooking.

Cook thickly sliced bacon in a dry pan on medium heat until almost crisp.

Remove bacon to a bowl, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.

Cook spicy garlicky smoked sausage in the bacon fat for about 3-4 minutes.

Add large chunks of chicken thighs to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes until browned.

Remove the meat from the pan and dump out the excess oil, leaving a little grease.

Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt to the pan, turn heat to medium low, and sweat the onion for about 5 minutes until translucent.

Deglaze the pan with chicken broth.

Smash about 25% of the drained and rinsed white beans with a potato masher to break them up.

Add the smashed and whole beans to the pan along with cayenne pepper, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme.

Return the reserved meat (bacon, sausage, chicken) to the pan and add enough stock to cover, about another cup.

Turn heat to medium high and let the mixture simmer for about 5-6 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, plain breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese to create the breadcrumb mixture.

Sprinkle half of the breadcrumb mixture over the simmering bean mixture and broil until golden brown and crusty, about 8 inches below the heat.

Use a spoon to push the crust down into the liquid.

Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture on top and poke it down slightly with a spoon.

Broil again until the top layer of breadcrumbs is beautifully caramelized and golden brown.

Turn off the oven and leave the dish in the warm oven for 15 minutes to soak up excess liquid.

Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens