Cassoulet Recipe
This traditional French Cassoulet Recipe is a hearty, delicious, meaty stew filled with duck, pork, sausage, and beans slowly cooked in a rich and flavorful tomato broth. Perfect with a loaf of crusty bread.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry white beans haricot lingot beans, flageolet beans, Great Northern beans, or cannellini beans.
- 4 large duck legs
- 1 orange zested
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme divided
- 4 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 cup duck fat
- 1 cup light olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound pork belly cut into 5-6 large pieces
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 ham hocks
- 3 large tomatoes halved or quartered
- 1 onion peeled
- 1 large carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 Italian sausage
Instructions
Day 1
- Soak the beans: Add the beans to a large bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight.
- Season the duck legs: Mince two sprigs of thyme and zest the orange. Season the duck legs with thyme, orange zest, salt, and black pepper.
- Refrigerate overnight: Cover and transfer the duck legs to the refrigerator. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning/day, dust off as much of the seasoning as possible before proceeding.
Day 2
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain and rinse the beans.
- Melt the duck fat: In a large pot, melt the duck fat over medium heat, then stir in the olive oil.
- Bake (confit) the duck legs: Transfer the duck legs to a large baking dish. Cover with the heated oil and duck fat. Transfer it to the oven and bake for 4-5 hours, spooning the duck fat over the exposed skin at least every hour.
- Refrigerate the duck overnight: Remove the duck from the oven. Cool to room temperature and then remove it from the fat. Chill in the fridge overnight. *Reserve some of the remaining duck fat in a small jar or container in the refrigerator*
Day 3
- Assemble the bouquet garni: Prepare an herb sachet with the whole parsley, thyme, cloves, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns, or wrap them in cheesecloth and secure it with butcher's twine.
- Prepare the broth with the beans: Add the drained and rinsed beans, chicken stock, pork belly, garlic, ham hocks, tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, salt, and the herb bag to a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Use a small fine-mesh strainer to skim off any scum that rises to the top of the broth.
- Simmer: Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the broth to simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally. Once the beans are tender, remove from heat. Carefully remove the pork belly to a clean cutting board.
- Brown the sausage: In a large skillet, cook the sausages in reserved duck fat over medium-high heat until brown and charred on all sides. Transfer the sausage to the same cutting board as the pork belly. Chop the pork belly and sausage into large chunks.
- Build your "casserole": In a separate oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, layer the meat on the bottom, then drain the beans from the stock with a slotted spoon and layer on top of the meat. Strain the broth from the first pot and pour in just enough to barely cover the beans.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the beans: Bake the beans uncovered for one hour, then break the crust that forms on the top of the beans by gently tapping it with the back of a spoon. Pour in enough broth to cover the beans, and repeat, baking the beans for 30 minutes later, breaking the crust, adding broth, and baking for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the oven and set the oven to broil: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Broil the duck legs: Place the duck confit (the baked duck legs) on the baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes until the crust is golden.
- Serve: Transfer the duck to the pot and gently place them on the beans. Serve with French bread and salad, if desired.
Notes
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 1298kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 97g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 52g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 2385mg | Potassium: 1717mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2239IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 10mg
