Easy French Cassoulet Recipe

Discover the secrets to creating a delicious cassoulet, a traditional French dish that is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for cooler months.

Course dinner, main meal pork, stew/soup

Cuisine French

Keyword cassoulet dish, how to make cassoulet, what is a cassoulet, what is cassoulet

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 435kcal

Author Beth Pierce

4 slices smoked bacon chopped
14 ounces Polska Kielbasa
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
½ cup dry white wine
1½ lbs pork shoulder, pork butt, or country-style ribs trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans rinsed and drained

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 1 minute while stirring. Plate the vegetables using a slotted spoon, leaving any bacon grease in the pan.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Add the pork butt and cook until golden brown. If there is more than 1/2 tablespoon of fat in the pot, remove it.
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 1 hour.
Remove the pot from the oven, and add the thyme, rosemary, apple cider vinegar, diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, browned bacon, and sausage. Cover and place in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the pork is super tender and the beans are just starting to break down. Don't forget to remove the bay leaves.

This recipe has a few 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.