Real Simple Cassoulet

A quick scroll through the archives tells me that the last dinner recipe I shared was on November 23^rd. Say what? How is that even possible? I can assure you we’ve been eating dinner every day since, and while they weren’t always sharable meals (scrambled eggs and toast, I’m looking at you), there were definitely a few home runs worthy of writing about.

Take, for example, this simple stovetop cassoulet from Real Simple magazine. In the winter of 2007/2008 I made it weekly. The boys were just beginning to eat beans with the same enthusiasm as bacon, and I was building up an arsenal of one-pot recipes making this healthy stovetop supper a meal we could all get behind. It became such a staple that I jotted down the ingredients in my recipes-we’ll-eat-forever notebook, only to forget about it come spring when fresh salads made us forget about how much we loved this sausage and bean stew.

Last fall, while attempting to KonMari my recipe collection (side note: I failed miserably and just bought the book in an attempt to give decluttering a solid effort), I stumbled upon the Real Simple cassoulet I had all but forgotten about, and immediately made it for dinner. It may have been popular with the boys eight or nine years ago, but now they’ve declared it a favourite and we’re back to adding it to our meal plan every other week or so.

Here’s what I love most about this recipe: this isn’t a traditional long cooking cassoulet with multiple varieties of meats (which I happen to love, by the way), but instead is made with lean sausage, carrots and parsnips, and offers variations that make it suitable for those who eat dairy-free, gluten-free, and red meat-free. It’s also crowd-pleasing and can be served at dinner parties and casual gatherings, not to mention an average Wednesday night when it’s just your own family crowded around the table. In essence, the recipe rocks and I hope it becomes part of your dinner rotation, too.

Real Simple Cassoulet

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1lb. chicken or turkey sausage (you can use pork if desired), casings removed
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, cut into ½-inch dice
• 3 parsnips, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 cup whole (but chopped) or crushed tomatoes (you can also use tomato sauce, if you prefer)
• 3 19-ounce (540 mL) cans cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. melted salted butter 

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausage until well browned, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Pour out the excess oil from the Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth, vegetables, beans, thyme, salt, pepper, and half the garlic. Return the sausage to the pot and mix well, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour, until thickened and the vegetables are tender.

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, combine the bread-crumbs, parsley, butter, and remaining garlic. Sprinkle in an even layer over the cassoulet and place in the oven. Bake, uncovered, until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. 

Notes: To make the dish gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs in place of the panko. To make the dish dairy-free, swap in olive oil for the butter in the breadcrumb topping.

Comments

[Robyn]

Where do you get your turkey sausage Jan? Which grocery store/brand? Or do you get them from a butcher? I've tried some from Metro and Whole Foods, but still on the hunt for one that I love.

[Carol S-B]

Mmm, yum.
I sometimes see a "ham steak", just a slab of ham essentially, in the co-op: one of those (less than $2) is also enough to flavour a cassoulet beautifully (then I skip the sausage).
Or a chunk from the end of some good mennonite summer sausage (Noah Martin anyone?)... it doesn't take much to flavour the whole pot and make the house smell wonderful!
...yes, I am from Calgary. Noah Martin's famous.

[Cath]

I'm super excited to try this. Thanks!

[Meaghan]

Looks great! My husband happens to be making sausage this weekend and this would make a great weeknight supper in the near future. Thanks for the idea!

[Anne O.]

Could this be made in a slow cooker?

[Jan Scott]

I dont see why not! Maybe brown the meat in a skillet first and then dump it all into the slow cooker for 4-6 hours. It might not thicken as nicely, but you can always remove the lid during the last hour of cooking to help some of the liquid evaporate.

[Jan Scott]

How lucky that you get homemade sausage - sound awesome! I think youll like this dish. Its simple but totally satisfying...

[Jan Scott]

Oh good! I hope you like it as much as we do.

[Jan Scott]

Great idea about the ham steak - so smart!

[Jan Scott]

Hi Robyn! I find turkey sausage is inconsistently available. Sometimes I find it easily, and other times not so much. When I do see it, I stock up and put some in the freezer. I can definitely find it at some butchers (Butcher By Nature), sometimes Fresh and Co carries them, too. In Etobicoke, not far from me, theres Blue Danube Sausage House and Medium Rare (Dundas and Kipling), which both sell turkey sausages. 

[Midge]

Plan on making this tonight but I have a question. The recipe calls for an 8 ounce tin whole tomatoes, I have looked in 3 stores and there is nothing that small. Should the recipe read 1 28 ounce tin tomatoes?
With thanks - Midge

[Jan Scott]

Hi Midge, 

Just go with 1 cup of whole or crushed tomatoes. Thats what I do, because like you, I dont often find an 8oz. can. Ill fix the recipe now so it isnt so confusing - thanks for asking so I can clarify!

[Jan Scott]

I should also mention that Ive used 1 cup of tomato sauce in a pinch and that worked well too! And one time I even used 1 large tomato chopped into pieces. Hope this helps!

On Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 11:17 AM, Jan Scott [email protected] wrote:

Hi Midge, 

Just go with 1 cup of whole or crushed tomatoes. Thats what I do, because like you, I dont often find an 8oz. can. Ill fix the recipe now so it isnt so confusing - thanks for asking so I can clarify!

[La Torontoise]

Jan, I love cassoulet, it's a French winter meal:-) and I love turkey sausage (my grandmother used to make her own...).
Reading this post feels like a friendly reminder to cook cassaulet this week:-)

I've been making every week this month another French winter meal, the choucroute (the ham, sausage and bacon meal garnished with cabbage and potatoes):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/choucroute-garnie-102386

Have a great week!