Classic French Cassoulet
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This Classic French Cassoulet is a classic and simple yet delicious casserole with beans, pork sausage and chicken breast. Served with a french baguette and salad? Oui Oui!
Classic French Cassoulet
The great Julia Child once said, “In France, cooking is a serious art form and national sport”, and although I think she may not have expected the North American obsession with competitive cooking shows, her point still rings true today. There’s just something about the french passion and dedication to their food that sets it apart. From classics like beef bourguignon and coq au vin, to the lesser known but equally delicious cassoulet, the french have never shied away from complex flavors and rich dishes.
I wanted to introduce this dish to my readers today, many of whom may not have had the pleasure of eating much French fare before. It may take a little longer than other dishes but labors of love are always worth it in the end. From Julia and I both – bon appetite!
What is French Cassoulet?
Forget the French name for a moment, cassoulet is simply casserole. It’s rich, cooked low and slow, and full of chicken, beans, and pork. Unlike the casserole Canadians and Americans are so familiar with, French cassoulet is prepared in a dutch oven and does not include any creams, canned soups, fried onions as garnish, or any breakfast cereals (ahem, corn flakes).
The actual dish itself is not difficult to make, it just takes time. So in the interest of making this recipe as easy to follow as possible, let’s break it up into some steps.
Ingredients In Classic French Cassoulet
- Sausages – I used Italian pork sausages for this recipe as it was the easiest kind to find. 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.
- Veggies – The veggie base of this dish is leek, carrot, shallots, and onion. If you have trouble finding leeks, more shallots can be used in their place.
- White wine – I like to use a dry white wine such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- Garlic – Lots of fresh garlic is crucial to the flavor of this dish. If minced is all you have, 1 1/2 teaspoons is equivalent to one fresh clove.
- White beans – We want the mild flavor and texture of white beans specifically, so substitutions aren’t recommended.
- Herbs – I used dried rosemary and herbes de provence; a spice blend with lavender, oregano, basil, mint, fennel seeds, etc. It can be found in most grocery stores.
- Parsley – For garnish.
How To Make Classic French Cassoulet
- Prepare your oven: Set to 325 F degrees.
- Brown the protein: In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed sauce pan, brown the sausages whole. I prefer a smaller bite so I dice them up in pieces. Remove them once browned and place chicken breasts that have been cut into bite sized pieces in next, seasoned with salt and pepper, until they too are cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Saute veggies: Add onion, carrot, and leeks to the pot in the residual sausage fat and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Then add the shallots and garlic and saute for an additional minute.
- Finish the cassoulet: Deglaze the pot with your white wine, being sure to scrape up as many brown stuck bits as possible. Return the protein to the pot and add beans, herbs, water and seasoning. Bring to a simmer then cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 2 hours. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Storing Cassoulet
French cassoulet is a dish whose flavors develop better the longer it sits, to a point. If refrigerated in an airtight container it should last up to 4 days, with its flavor peaking around the third day.
To freeze, transfer the casserole to an air tight container and allow to fully cool before freezing to ensure it lasts up to 3 months.
Tips For Making The Best Cassoulet
- Duck breast is a rich, delicious substitute for chicken in this dish and is quite true to the original French recipe.
- Want more flavor? Try adding bay leaves before placing the dish in the oven, just be sure to remove them before serving.
- You can also use dried cannellini beans, just make sure to soak them overnight in water. This is a great way to bring even better texture and flavor to your French cassoulet.
- If you just can’t find toulouse sausage anywhere and would like to be as authentic as possible, this recipe will replicate it nicely.
Craving more French cooking? Try these recipes:
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Classic French Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 4 links Italian pork sausages (or similar, whole or cut into smaller pieces)
- 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (chopped)
- 1 leek (chopped (white and green part))
- ½ cup white wine (such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
- 2 small shallots (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 19 ounce cannellini beans ((1 can), drained)
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (dried)
- ½ teaspoon herbes de provence
- 1½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon parsley (for garnish)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F degrees.
- Brown the sausage: In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed sauce pan, brown the sausages whole. I prefer a smaller bite so I dice them up in pieces. Remove them once browned.
- Cook the chicken: Add the chicken breasts to the Dutch oven next, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Saute veggies: Add onion, carrot, and leeks to the pot in the residual sausage fat and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Then add the shallots and garlic and saute for an additional minute.
- Deglaze pot: Add the white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping any brown bits from the bottom.
- Finish the cassoulet: Return the protein to the pot and add beans, herbs, water and seasoning. Bring to a simmer then cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 2 hours.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Originally shared February 2014. Updated with better pictures, video and better instructions, recipe remains unchanged.
I have 2 questions before I make this. Do the cannellini beans ever get too mushy when cooked so long? Would you ever use beef or chicken broth instead of water? Thanks for your help. I am anxious to make it!
Hi Beth! I didn’t find the beans mushy at all, but if you’re afraid of that or like them firmer, you can add them later on in the cooking process. You can definitely use chicken broth.
Have you tried this with duck? I am wanting to double the recipe for our Sunday dinner and was thinking about using one pound of chicken and one pound of duck.
I have not, not a big duck fan here, but it should be fine. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Hi Joanna! Thanks for this delicious recipe! I was wondering if I’m on a time crunch if there’s any way to cut down on the baking time? Can I set it on a higher temp and bake it for less time?
Yeah, you probably can increase to 400 and maybe bake for 1 hour, it should be fine as long as the chicken is cooked through.
I have now made this six times!! The best cassoulet I have ever made! Thank you so much this recipe is one of those amazing lifelong favourites I can tell already!
So glad you like it! 🙂
do you drain the beans?
Yes, they are drained.
Made this as it’s Bastille Day and my son wanted something French! We’ll definitely be making it again! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it so much!
I made it exactly as the recipe was written and it was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
So glad you like it!
This was my first time making the cassoulet. I followed the recipe but used canned cannellini beans. Not only was it delicious, but I got rave reviews from everyone who had it. The chicken and sausage were tender and the beans flavorful. I will make this again. Thanks so much for the easy and wonderful recipe.
My pleasure, so glad you liked it!
Made this tonight after being inspired by a character in a book I am reading made cassoulet…. I knew this would be delicious because all the Jo Cooks recipes I’ve made have been phenomenal! Thanks!
Ha, I do that too all the time. 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Delicious! Will make again, only with more water as it dried out quite a bit
New favorite recipe and definitely worth the cooking time! The herbes de Provence works so well in this!
Absolutely gorgeous, have made it twice but meat started to dry so both times added extra pint of vegetable stock. This is a winner.
This recipe had the most amazing flavors which melded so well together! This recipe is certainly company worth! Will share with my family.
Hi, does the meat dry out given you cook it and then put it in the oven for 2 hours?
It doesn’t! It stews in the liquid and becomes tender.
Hi Jo, I hav always wanted to make Cassoulet and your recipe sounds very doable. I have one question. I would like to use dried beans so how does that affect the cooking time and when and how would I cook them. Do I cook them alone first and then add to the proteins and vegetables??
Thanks so much
Susan Becker
If you soak the beans overnight, cooking them in the oven with the cassoulet for 2 hours, might be enough to cook them through. I haven’t tried this though so I’m not sure. Usually dried beans that have been soaked overnight take about 45 min to 2 hours to cook. 🙂
Excited to make on Sunday when I have the time. Thank you for the recipe.