Cassoulet


Cassoulet
Cassoulet is typical, even emblematic, of southern French cuisine. It is a "slow food" casserole in which meat and vegetables, particualrly dried beans, are cooked together for a long time. Here is a simplified version of this famous dish.
236 K 3.9/5 (61 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: September 17th 2021
For this recipe: Comment Send to a friend Ask me a question Follow Printable Diaporama
For 8 people, you will need:

Change to the quantities for:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 12 hours 60 min.
Cooking: 3 hours 15 min.
All in all: 16 hours 9 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 12 hours
Cassoulet : Stage 1

Beans

Leave 1 kg 500 g white beans to soak overnight in cold water.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 5 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 2
The next day, drain and blanch for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 3 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 3
Drain the beans again.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 25 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 4
Prepare the carrots and cut into small pieces.

Prepare the leek and chop finely.

Peel the garlic cloves and chop finely.

Stage 5 - ⌛ 10 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 5

Stage 6 - ⌛ 3 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 6
Melt 50 g goose fat in a large pan over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion, salt and perpper and cook without colouring.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 7
Add the carrots, leek, garlic and bouquet garni.

Stir well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 10 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 8
Pour in 2 litres water, add 2 chicken stock cubes and bring to the boil.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 30 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 9
Leave uncovered to simmer for 30 minutes.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 3 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 10
Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Add 50 g tomato paste, mix and then add the beans.

Leave to simmer uncovered for around 30 minutes until the beans are just tender.

Drain the beans and set aside the stock.

Stage 11 - ⌛ 10 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 11

The cassoulet

Put the pan or casserole you are going to use for the cassoulet on high heat and fry the duck confit until browned on all sides.

Remove the duck pieces and set aside.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 10 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 12
Leave the duck fat in the pan and use this to fry the bacon and sausage, cut into pieces.

Set aside.

Stage 13 - ⌛ 5 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 13
Prepare to cook the cassoulet: put a first layer of beans in the bottom of the pan.

Stage 14 - ⌛ 5 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 14
Cover with a layer of meat.

Stage 15 - ⌛ 5 min.
Cassoulet : Stage 15
Cover the meat with a second layer of beans.

Stage 16 - ⌛ 2 hours
Cassoulet : Stage 16
Add stock (from stage 10) to cover with about 1 cm (1/2 inch) over the top of the beans.

Cover and cook in the oven at 360°F (180°C) for around 2 hours.

Stage 17
Cassoulet : Stage 17
Serve each guest with a generous mix of beans and the different meats.
Remarks
The proportions of this recipe are not rigid, so you can add a little more or a little less of something, according to your taste.

For the dried beans, use whatever fairly large white beans you can get. A good French variety is 'lingot du nord'.

For the duck confit, if you are using legs, allow 2 per person.

For the sausage, use a good variety that is available where you live (I prefer using smoked sausage, but this is a matter of taste).

Cassoulet is one of those dishes that just gets better each time you reheat it, so don't hesitate to make a large quantity for reheating on another day or for freezing.
And to drink?
A red wine from the south-west of France. My preference is for a Cahors to accompany this dish.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, protected by plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe410 RDI=160 %460 RDI=40 %850 RDI=130 %11,190 RDI=560 %46,870 RDI: 560 %
Per 100 g6 RDI=3 %7 RDI=1 %10 RDI=2 %180 RDI=9 %760 RDI: 9 %
Per person50 RDI=20 %60 RDI=5 %110 RDI=20 %1,400 RDI=70 %5,860 RDI: 70 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: Celery
How much will it cost?
  • For 8 people : 27.75 €
  • Per person : 3.50 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Pistachio powder or paste
Pistachio powder or paste
Pistachio paste has a similar texture to almond paste, but the similarity ends there, as its flavour and colour are quite characteristic.
October 13th 2010401 K 154 50 min.
Cream sauce with Vin Jaune
Cream sauce with Vin Jaune
This sauce made with Vin Jaune ("yellow wine") is emblematic of Comtoise cuisine from Eastern France. It combines the smoothness of cream with the slight acidity and typical flavour of the Vin Jaune. The tricky aspect of cooking with Vin Jaune is that its fugitive flavour tends to disappear when cooked for any length of time. You will notice that this recipe uses a particular way of finishing the sauce to limit this loss of flavour.
October 3rd 2018260 K4 50 min.
Roast in the bag pork with fondant vegetables.
Roast in the bag pork with fondant vegetables.
Roasting "in the bag" is a simple but long method. The meat is sealed in a bag and cooked slowly at moderate temperature, keeping it very tender and with an amazing flavour. Meat cooked like this produces delicious juicies without adding anything else. These can be used to cook vegetables to a melting texture as a perfect accompaniment for the meat. This recipe might look complicated, but it is really very simple, just a bit long, and the flavour and texture are out of this world.
April 12th 2020141 K4 5 hours 45 min.
Bouquet garni
Bouquet garni
Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking.
March 21th 2017438 K3.5 15 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Blackcurrant liqueur
The fruit liqueurs (or "creams" in French) are a mix of neutral alcohol in which fruits are macerated, and sugar syrup. They are the basis of the very famous "Kir", mixture of dry white wine and blackcurrant liqueur. This recipe is for blackcurrant, but it can be made with other soft fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
August 3rd 2013883 K 44.7 55 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-03-01)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page