Cassoulet

Discover the secrets to creating a delicious cassoulet, a traditional French stew that is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for cooler months. It combines bacon, smoked pork sausage, and tender pork butt. All are slow-cooked with vegetables, tomatoes, beans, and fresh herbs.

It is a cornucopia of pleasures for your taste buds and an explosion of comforting aromatics. This is one of my husband’s and son’s favorite dishes and is ideal for fall and winter. If you like this recipe, try cowboy stew, pumpkin chili, or pork stew.

What is cassoulet?

Cassoulet is a slow-cooked French stew with white beans, pork, and sometimes chicken, duck, or lamb. It is a hearty dish with plenty of fresh vegetables and flavor from dry white wine and fresh herbs.

It was originally a peasant dish often made with mutton and duck confit, but recently, it has taken a more modern approach with bacon and smoked sausage.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Bacon: smoked and use the bacon grease to cook the Polska Kielbasa and vegetables.
• Polska Kielbasa: or any smoked sausage
• Vegetables: all your regular stew standards, such as onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and tomatoes
• White wine: a dry one like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
• Pork shoulder: pork butt or pork country-style ribs
• Herbs: bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, and thyme
• Vinegar: just a splash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• Beans: cannellini beans or Great Northern beans

How to Make Cassoulet

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

First, brown the bacon and sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, plate the bacon and sausage. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion and celery are tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for a minute while stirring.

Plate the vegetables using a slotted spoon, leaving any bacon grease in the pan. Add the pork butt and cook until golden brown. If there is more than half a tablespoon of fat in the pot, remove it.

Then, add the wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Simmer until the wine is reduced by about half. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and cooked vegetables to the skillet. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for about an hour.

Remove the pot from the oven, and add the thyme, rosemary, apple cider vinegar, diced tomatoes, and cannellini beans. Cover and place in the oven for about an hour or until the pork is super tender and the beans are just starting to break down. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves.

Preparation Notes

• This recipe has several but easy steps that even a new cook can handle. Trust me when I tell you that it is worth it.
• If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a large oven-safe pot and cover it with aluminum foil. I love my Dutch ovens. I use them about ten times more often than my slow cooker.
• Trim the excess fat from the pork butt or pork shoulder. I leave small amounts of fat as that is what makes the pork tender and flavorful.
• You can substitute chicken for the pork butt.

Serving Suggestions

This is a hearty stew, but if we have a few extra mouths or company, I like to serve it with cheddar beer bread or no-knead bread. It is also delicious with arugula salad or spring mix salad.

Storage and Reheat

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be reheated on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.

More Stew Recipes

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