This cassoulet recipe features tender beans and meats, and aromatic herbs slow cooked to perfection. A hearty one pan meal perfect for cosy dinners or special occasions.
It's a Hairy Bikers recipe that we found on the BBC website a couple of years ago...turns out it's from their Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight recipe book, but honestly you'd never know - it's healthy, full of flavour, hearty and delicious.
They made a few tweaks to reduce the calorie count while keeping the big flavours. Choose really meaty sausages - our favourites are classic pork sausages from Asda with 90% pork. The original recipe says to use smoked gammon, however, I prefer unsmoked so that it's less salty. Also, using skinless chicken and a very small amount of oil makes all the difference.
Tips
- Chicken and gammon - chunks of skinless chicken breast will also work and if you don't have gammon, you can use strips of bacon or lardons instead.
- Vegetarian option - replace meats with hearty vegetables like mushrooms, aubergine or courgettes and use smoked paprika for a similar depth of flavour.
- This cassoulet recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less people.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Cassoulet is a traditional French dish made with slow cooked beans, meats like pork, sausages, and duck confit, and aromatic herbs. It originates from southern France and is considered the ultimate comfort food.
Yes - tinned beans can be used for convenience. Be sure to rinse and drain them before adding to the cassoulet. Adjust the cooking time since canned beans don’t require as much cooking as dried ones.
Absolutely - cassoulet tastes even better the next day as the flavours infuse. Prepare it up to 2 days in advance and reheat it gently in the oven before serving.
Yes, cassoulet freezes well. Portion it into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven or on the hob.
Serve cassoulet with crusty French bread, a light green salad, or steamed green beans. A glass of dry red wine complements the dish beautifully.
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How to make this Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 0.5 tsp sunflower oil
- 6 sausages (at least 85% meat)
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 6 skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 450g), trimmed of fat and cut in halves (see Tips)
- 200g piece unsmoked lean gammon, trimmed and cut into 2cm cubes (see Tips)
- 4 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced diagonally (1.5cm)
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally (1.5cm)
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 150ml red wine (or water)
- 300ml cold water
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 to 5 bushy sprigs fresh thyme
- freshly ground black pepper
- 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
- a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Brush a large (at least 5 litre) flameproof casserole with the sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until nicely browned on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Add the onions to the frying pan and cook with the sausages for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly until softened and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and chicken pieces to the pan with the sausages and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning the chicken twice until coloured all over.
- Stir in the gammon, celery, carrots, tomatoes, red wine and 300ml cold water, then sprinkle over the caster sugar and chilli flakes. Stir in the bay leaf and thyme and season with lots of ground black pepper.
- Bring the cassoulet to a simmer on the hob, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Take the casserole out of the oven and stir in all the beans. Cover with the lid again and put the dish back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve large portions of the cassoulet in deep plates or wide bowls and garnish with the chopped parsley…and some nice crusty bread on the side!
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Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 0.5 tsp sunflower oil
- 6 sausages (at least 85% meat)
- 2 onions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 6 skinless boneless chicken thighs (approx. 450g) trimmed of fat and cut in halves (see Notes)
- 200 g (7.1 oz) piece unsmoked lean gammon trimmed and cut into 2cm cubes (see Notes)
- 4 celery sticks trimmed and sliced diagonally (1.5cm)
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced diagonally (1.5cm)
- 2 x 400 g (28 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml (¾ cup) red wine (or water)
- 300 ml cold water
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 to 5 bushy sprigs fresh thyme
- freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g (14 oz) tin cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 400 g (14 oz) tin butter beans drained and rinsed
- handful fresh flat leaf parsley chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Brush a large (at least 5 litre) flameproof casserole with the sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until nicely browned on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Add the onions to the frying pan and cook with the sausages for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly until softened and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and chicken pieces to the pan with the sausages and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning the chicken twice until coloured all over.
- Stir in the gammon, celery, carrots, tomatoes, red wine and 300ml cold water, then sprinkle over the caster sugar and chilli flakes. Stir in the bay leaf and thyme and season with lots of ground black pepper.
- Bring the cassoulet to a simmer on the hob, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Take the casserole out of the oven and stir in all the beans. Cover with the lid again and put the dish back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve large portions of the cassoulet in deep plates or wide bowls and garnish with the chopped parsley…and some nice crusty bread on the side!
Notes
-
- Vegetarian option - replace meats with hearty vegetables like mushrooms, aubergine or courgettes and use smoked paprika for a similar depth of flavour.
- This cassoulet recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less people.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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