Best White Bean Cassoulet Recipes

SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN "CASSOULET"

Steps:

• In a medium skillet cook sausages in oil over moderate heat, turning them, until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• In fat remaining in skillet cook onions and garlic, stirring, until golden, and stir in herbs (including bay leaf), scallions or parsley, tomatoes with juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Boil mixture, stirring, 5 minutes. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add sausage and beans to tomato mixture and cook, stirring, until heated through. Discard bay leaf and keep "cassoulet" warm, covered.
• Make topping:
• In a small skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bread until pale golden. Stir in garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.
• Transfer "cassoulet" to a 1-quart serving dish and cover evenly with topping.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.

SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Wash the beans well and put them in a large stockpot. Add water to the beans to cover by 2 inches and set over high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover and let stand 1 hour.*
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the duck sausage on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. The sausage will not be fully cooked through.
• Add the whole onion, whole carrot, 2 of the thyme sprigs and 3 of the bay leaves to the beans. Add more water to the pot to cover again by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are mostly tender but with still a little bite to them, about 50 to 60 minutes. The beans will have soaked up all most all of the liquid you cooked them in.
• Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook stirring every now and then until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the crispy bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate and reserve. To the same skillet, add the diced onion, sliced carrots and garlic and sweat the mixture for 20 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
• Slice the duck sausage on the bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces and add them to the vegetable mix. Add the remaining bay leaves, thyme sprigs and sliced kielbasa and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Next add the wine, beef broth, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and lower the heat. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the whole onion and carrot from the beans, add the vegetable sausage mixture to the stockpot and return to a low heat. Stir well and cover. Let the cassoulet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until most of the wine mixture has been absorbed by the beans. Spoon into a casserole dish, sprinkle the top of each serving with some of the reserved crispy bacon and serve with a crusty baguette on the side.

CHICKEN, WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil to the pan.
• Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of the Creole seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper.
• Place the chicken in the pan and sear until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Turn over and sear on the second side for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside.
• Place the sausage in the pan and cook until well caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onions, peppers and celery to the pan and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the beans, stock, fresh thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
• Cook the beans for 1 hour.
• Add the chicken back to the pan, and season with the remaining Creole seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook the beans until they are tender, and the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
• Stir in the chopped parsley.

WHITE BEAN, SAUSAGE, DUCK CONFIT CASSOULET (DAVID LEBOVITZ)

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and sort for debris. Soak them overnight covered in cold water.
• The next day, put the ham hock in a separate large pot of water, bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to a steady simmer, and cook for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone. Remove the ham hock from the water and set it on a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, shred it in large, bite-size pieces, and refrigerate it. Discard the liquid.
• Drain the beans; put them in the pot you used to cook the ham hock and cover with cold water. Add the ham bones to the pot of beans along with the diced pork belly, carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring the beans to a boil, decrease the heat so the beans are simmering gently, and cook until the beans are soft and tender, about 1 hour, or longer, depending on the beans. As the water boils away during cooking, add more water as necessary. Taste the beans toward the end of cooking, add up to 1 tablespoon of salt, if necessary.
• While the beans are cooking, scrape any excess fat from the duck confit pieces (save it for making duck fat-fried potatoes, page 220) and fry them in a skillet over medium heat until they're golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side. (If using the Counterfeit duck confit on page 179, the duck will already be browned and ready, so there's no need to recook it for this step.)
• Transfer the duck pieces to a plate and pour off any excess duck fat from the pan. Prick the sausages a few times with a sharp knife, then fry the sausages just to brown them on the outside; they don't need to be fully cooked through. Set the sausages on the plate with the duck pieces. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Cut each duck thigh into three pieces; cut the drumstick off, and then use a knife to divide the thigh portion into two equal pieces, cutting it in half by holding the knife parallel to the bone.
• Transfer the duck pieces to a plate and pour off any excess duck fat from the pan. Prick the sausages a few times with a sharp knife, then fry the sausages just to brown them on the outside; they don't need to be fully cooked through. Set the sausages on the plate with the duck pieces. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Cut each duck thigh into three pieces; cut the drumstick off, and then use a knife to divide the thigh portion into two equal pieces, cutting it in half by holding the knife parallel to the bone.
• Puree the onion and garlic in a blender or food processor with a bit of the bean liquid until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the bean mixture, season with pepper, and taste, adding more salt if desired. (Some pork products are quite salty, so at this point, you can adjust the salt to your taste.)
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) with an oven rack to the top third of the oven.
• In a wide casserole that holds at least 8 quarts (8l) or a roasting pan, assemble the cassoulet. Ladle a layer of the bean mixture and some of the liquid into the casserole. Put half of the duck pieces and half of the sausage evenly spaced over the beans. Add another layer of beans, and then put the rest of the duck and sausage pieces over the beans. Top with the remaining beans and enough of the liquid so that the beans are just barely floating in the liquid. (Refrigerate any extra bean liquid, as you may need it later. Or if there isn't enough bean liquid, add a bit more water, just enough to moisten the beans.)
• Toss the bread crumbs with the oil until thoroughly moistened, then spread the bread crumbs evenly on top of the cassoulet. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour. After an hour, use the side of a large spoon or a heatproof spatula to break the crust on top in several places. Decrease the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C) and bake the cassoulet for another 2 ½ hours, breaking the crust two more times while cooking. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. If you want to serve the cassoulet reheated, as many prefer it, let it cool to room temperature for 1 ½ hours, and then refrigerate it.
• To serve the cassoulet reheated, remove the cassoulet from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to reheat it. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Break through a piece of the top of the cassoulet, and if you don't see much liquid surrounding the beans beneath the surface, add some of the reserved bean liquid (or warm water)-just enough to moisten the insides a little, about ½ cup (125ml). Bake the cassoulet for 1 ½ hours, or until it's completely heated through. If the topping isn't crusty, turn the oven up to broil-if you're using a ceramic dish, turn the oven just to 450°F (230°C), or whatever maximum heat is indicated by the manufacturer-and watch carefully until the top is browned to your liking. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Serve the cassoulet in its dish at the table. It requires no other accompaniment, although a glass of Armagnac after (or in place of ) dessert is considered obligatory to aid digestion. As is a pat on the back for making the cassoulet.

CASSOULET (WHITE BEAN CASSEROLE WITH PORK, LAMB AND DUCK) PART 2

Steps:

• (follows part 1) Arrange the duck pieces, skin side down, on a rack in a roasting pan and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 10 minutes. Turn the duck pieces and broil them 10 minutes more, or until the juices run clear and the meat is cooked through. Transfer the duck with tongs to a cutting board and reserve 1/4 cup of the duck fat. In a 6 quart casserole layer one third of the reserved bean mixture, half the braised meat mixture, 4 pieces of duck, half the remaining bean mixture, the remaining braised meat mixture, the remaining duck pieces, and the remaining bean mixture. Pour 6 cups of the reserved broth, skimmed of any fat, slowly over the mixture, sprinkle the top with 2 cups of bread crumbs, and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the reserved duck fat. Bake the Cassoulet,uncovered, in the middle of a preheated 325deg. f. oven for 30 minutes. Press the crumb layer lightly into the cassoulet, top it with the remaining 1 cup of crumbs, and drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of duck fat. Bake the cassoulet for 1 3/4 more, or until the crust is golden brown.

PORK AND WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook pork, onion and garlic powder in skillet 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork is brown.
• Stir in kielbasa, tomatoes, chili sauce, thyme and frozen green beans. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Cover and boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in great northern beans. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until green beans are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot slices, parsnip slices and garlic. Cover and cook 5 minutes; stirring occasionally.
• Place cooked mixture into the slow cooker. Add beans and next 6 ingredients (through Bay leaf). Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Remove Bay leaf.
• Sauté sausage until browned. Drain off fat.
• Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and melted butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Stir breadcrumb mixture and cooked sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

THYME-SCENTED WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat oil in a big nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add in onion, carrot, parsnip, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
• Place parsnip mixture in a 5-quart slow cooker; add in beans and next 6 ingredients.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender; discard bay leaf.
• Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until crumbs are moist.
• Stir breadcrumb mixture and sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

WHITE BEAN AND VEGETABLE CASSOULET WITH MILLET CRUST

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add bell peppers, onions, carrot and garlic and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash, green beans, cumin and harissa paste and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juices and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Mix in cannellini and 1/4 cup basil. Transfer mixture to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add millet and stir until light golden, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until millet is tender and liquid is almost absorbed, about 20 minutes. Drain millet. Transfer to bowl and cool. Mix in breadcrumbs and remaining 2 teaspoons oil.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle millet mixture evenly over vegetables in baking dish. Bake until vegetables are heated through and topping begins to crisp, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup basil around edges and serve.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges.
• Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes.
• Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
• Sauteed Italian Sausage:.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
• Spinach Pesto:.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Garlic Parmesan Crostini:.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.

WHITE-BEAN “CASSOULET”

Steps:

• Pour oil into slow cooker, and turn it on high. Add shallots and garlic. Cover, and cook to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add carrots, turnip, parsnip, beans and tomatoes. Stir in stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook until all vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 hours. Remove and discard bay leaves before serving. Garnish with breadcrumbs and minced parsley.

THYME-SCENTED WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, parsnip, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
• Place in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add beans and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
• Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Stir breadcrumb mixture and sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

PORTABELLA AND WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat a large non-stick skillet or pot over medium heat, and sauté the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. When mushrooms begin to exude their juices, add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
• Add tomatoes, thyme, basil, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir and bring to a boil. Add onions and salt and pepper to taste. Return to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
• Mix in the beans, and simmer over low to medium heat until beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Add water, if necessary, to keep ingredients moist. Adjust seasonings and serve.