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.
219 K 3.9/5 (60 reviews)
16 hours 9 min.
Easy
16 people
15 IngredientsLast modified on: September 17th 2021
For 16 people, you will need:
- 1
12 2⁄3 cups white beans - 2
6 carrots - 3
2 leeks - 4
4 cloves garlic - 5
2 bouquets garni - 6
4 onions - 7
½ cup goose fat - 8
16 ¾ cups water - 9
4 chicken stock cubes - 10
½ cup tomato paste - 11
2 Morteaux sausage - 12
4 cups + 3 tablespoons belly (streaky) bacon - 13
5 cups duck confit - 14
salt - 15
pepper
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 12 hours 60 min.
Cooking: 3 hours 15 min.
All in all: 16 hours 9 min.
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
Beans
Leave 12 2⁄3 cups white beans to soak overnight in cold water.Stage 2 - 5 min.
The next day, drain and blanch for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.
Stage 3 - 3 min.
Drain the beans again.
Stage 4 - 25 min.
Prepare the carrots and cut into small pieces.
Prepare the leek and chop finely.
Peel the garlic cloves and chop finely.
Prepare the leek and chop finely.
Peel the garlic cloves and chop finely.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Melt ½ cup goose fat in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion, salt and perpper and cook without colouring.
Add the chopped onion, salt and perpper and cook without colouring.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Add the carrots, leek, garlic and bouquet garni.
Stir well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Pour in 16 ¾ cups water, add 4 chicken stock cubes and bring to the boil.
Stage 10 - 3 min.
Stage 11 - 10 min.
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.
Leave the duck fat in the pan and use this to fry the bacon and sausage, cut into pieces.
Set aside.
Set aside.
Stage 13 - 5 min.
Prepare to cook the cassoulet: put a first layer of beans in the bottom of the pan.
Stage 14 - 5 min.
Cover with a layer of meat.
Stage 15 - 5 min.
Cover the meat with a second layer of beans.
Stage 16 - 2 hours
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.
Cover and cook in the oven at 360°F (180°C) for around 2 hours.
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.
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 recipe | 820 RDI=320 % | 930 RDI=90 % | 1,710 RDI=260 % | 22,390 RDI=1,120 % | 93,740 RDI: 1,120 % |
| Per 100 g | 6 RDI=3 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 180 RDI=9 % | 760 RDI: 9 % |
| Per person | 50 RDI=20 % | 60 RDI=5 % | 110 RDI=20 % | 1,400 RDI=70 % | 5,860 RDI: 70 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 16 people : 55.50 €
- 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)
Water
Like these other recipes: How to cook pasta properly, How to prepare Jerusalem artichokes, Quick courgette soup with cheese, Steak burger topped with egg, Mustard baps, ... See them all 136
White beans
Like these other recipes: Cornouaillaise salad, White bean gratin "à l'italienne", How to prepare white beans, Minestrone, Warm haricot bean salad, ... See them all 13
Belly (streaky) bacon
Like these other recipes: Bacon and cabbage omelette, Potatoes with bacon and herbs, Rabbit terrine, Hamburgers, Country-style spring pasta, ... See them all 31
Other recipes you may also like
Hamburgers
Hamburgers don't have to be the greasy flabby things you find in fast-food outlets, well-made they can be excellent. It's a very convivial recipe as everything goes on the table, and everyone assembles their own burger according to personal taste.December 6th 2015425 K4.8 35 min.
How to prepare a bain-marie
A bain-marie is the best way to cook or heat a preparation gently without risk of burning.July 5th 2013519 K5 7 min.
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Choux pastry is used for making profiteroles, eclairs and other small pastries.February 13th 2022540 K4.5 1 hour 4 min.
Sausage in brioche
In this recipe, sausage is cooked, the skin removed, and baked in a savoury brioche dough. Serve preferably with a good green salad and French dressing (vinaigrette).September 10th 2018419 K5 1 hour 50 min.
How to cook rice in rice-cooker
Cooking rice in a specially adapted "rice-cooker" is practical and quick: you don't have to watch it during cooking, it's fast (15 minutes) and the rice-cooker switches automatically to "keep warm".February 21th 2011929 K 24.9 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-06)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
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.
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.