Description
This classic French cassoulet is a hearty and comforting slow-baked casserole featuring savory beef sausages, tender chicken breast, and creamy cannellini beans, all infused with aromatic herbs and vegetables. Perfect for a cozy dinner, this dish offers rich flavors developed through slow oven baking in a dutch oven, delivering a traditional taste of French rustic cuisine.
Ingredients
Proteins
- 4 links beef sausages (whole or cut into smaller pieces)
- 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into bite-size pieces)
Vegetables
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (chopped)
- 1 leek (chopped – white and green part)
- 2 small shallots (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
Liquids & Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- ½ cup white wine (such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
- 19 ounce cannellini beans (1 can, drained)
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 325℉ to ensure it’s ready for baking the cassoulet later in the process.
- Brown the sausage: Using a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed saucepan, brown the whole beef sausages over medium heat. For easier eating, you may dice the sausages into smaller pieces after browning. Remove the browned sausage from the pot and set aside.
- Cook the chicken: In the same pot, add the cubed chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink inside. Once done, remove and set aside with the sausage.
- Sauté vegetables: Add the chopped onion, carrot, and leeks to the residual fat in the pot. Sauté the vegetables for about 4 minutes until they become tender. Add the chopped shallots and minced garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
- Deglaze the pot: Pour in the white wine to deglaze, scraping up all the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot to incorporate them into the dish’s flavor.
- Assemble and bake: Return the cooked sausages and chicken to the pot. Add the drained cannellini beans, dried rosemary, herbes de Provence, water, and adjust seasoning as needed. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then cover the pot and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and the cassoulet to cook slowly.
- Garnish and serve: After baking, remove the cassoulet from the oven and sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the top. Serve hot and enjoy this traditional French comfort food.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use homemade chicken broth instead of water.
- Feel free to substitute pork sausages if you prefer a different sausage flavor.
- Soaking dried cannellini beans overnight and cooking them from scratch can enhance the dish, but canned beans are a convenient alternative.
- Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be reheated gently on the stovetop or in the oven.
- For a gluten-free dish, ensure the sausages do not contain any gluten-based fillers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French