Cassoulet With Lots of Vegetables

Name: Cassoulet With Lots of Vegetables
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound Italian sausages, bone-in pork chops, confit duck legs, or duck breasts, or a combination; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 2 leeks or onions, trimmed, washed, and sliced; 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths; 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 2 medium zucchinis or 1 small head green cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 cups chopped tomatoes, with their juice (canned are fine); 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves; 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves; 2 bay leaves; 4 cups cooked white beans (canned are OK), drained and liquid reserved in any case; 2 cups stock, dry red wine, bean cooking liquid, or water, plus more as needed; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

By Mark Bittman

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 5(499)
Comments: Read comments

Cassoulet is one of the best of the myriad of traditional European dishes that combine beans and meat to produce wonderful rich, robust stews. This recipe maintains that spirit, but is much faster, easier, less expensive, and more contemporary, emphasizing the beans and vegetables over meat. (That probably makes it more, not less, traditional, since meat was always hard to come by before the mid-20th century.)

Featured in: Cassoulet and Kids

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2tablespoons olive oil
1pound Italian sausages, bone-in pork chops, confit duck legs, or duck breasts, or a combination
1tablespoon chopped garlic
2leeks or onions, trimmed, washed, and sliced
2carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
3celery stalks, cut into ½-inch pieces
2medium zucchinis or 1 small head green cabbage, cut into ½-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4cups chopped tomatoes, with their juice (canned are fine)
¼cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
1tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
2bay leaves
4cups cooked white beans (canned are OK), drained and liquid reserved in any case
2cups stock, dry red wine, bean cooking liquid, or water, plus more as needed
⅛teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the meat, and cook, turning as needed, until the meat is deeply browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
Step 2
Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, leeks or onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini or cabbage; and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their liquid, the reserved meat, and the herbs and bring to a boil. Add the beans; bring to a boil again, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but continuously. Cook for about 20 minutes, adding the liquid when the mixture gets thick and the vegetables are melting away.
Step 3
Fish out the meat and remove the bones and skin as needed. Chop into chunks and return to the pot along with the cayenne. Cook another minute or two to warm through, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

499 user ratings

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Comments

E7 years ago

Ok, this may sound crazy for a dish so closely associated with meat, but I made this vegetarian and it was sublime. I used some really good vegetarian sausage (Field Roast Sage & Apple) as the "meat" component, and otherwise followed the recipe as written. Served with some homemade bread. Just fabulous, definitely going in the regular rotation!

Tía Joan8 years ago

I live in Guatemala so used canned black beans, chorizo and smoked pork chops. Really, really good this Latin Cassoulet. Cook longer than 20 minutes and use liquid from beans along with some red wine of course.

AGS8 years ago

Delicious & hearty. Used 4 mild Italian sausages & 3 pork chops. This dish holds well & is great for guests.

carol18 hours ago

Started with 4 slices thick bacon, chopped, per another comment. Browned bacon and removed. Browned 19 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings. Deglazed pan with 1/4 cup vermouth. Used only 28 ounces diced tomatoes and juice. Used immersion blender on one can of beans, per another review. Only added 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Initial simmer more like 45 minutes, then added zucchini and cooked another 20. Served with grated Parmesan. Very good.

Melanie1 month ago

I made this with Chaurice sausage, no parsley or cabbage. (I used dried beans-rinsed, quick soaked - boiled in water and then soaked for one hour. Then cooked them for two hours in vegetable broth). Then used the liquid they were cooked in as extra fluid. So delicious!!! I had just gone to southern France and had eaten this. Mine was better! Highly recommend this recipe.

Edgemont Kathy8 months ago

Pro tip! Make a *real* cassoulet using the kit from D’Artagnan - it is worth every single penny. Make it for 4 people - you will have leftover garlic sausage, ventreche, duck/veal glacé, and cooked Tarbais beans - put these in your freezer. THEN when you want to make THIS dish, just get a package of their duck sausage and use what you have frozen - plus all the delicious veggies, some tomatoes, and some chicken stock. And homemade sourdough croutons if you are so inclined. Delicious!!!

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