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French

Cassoulet

Non-vegetarian

A slow-baked casserole of white beans with duck, pork belly and Toulouse sausage under a golden crust. This home version uses canned beans and roasted duck legs.

Cassoulet is a French bake from France, ready in about 2 hours 55 minutes and made with duck confit (confit duck legs), toulouse sausage and white beans (canned). It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
2 h 10 min
Rest
15 min
Total
2 h 55 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
975

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Scrape most of the fat off the confit duck legs (opens in a new tab) and warm them skin-side down in a frying pan over medium heat until the skin is golden and the fat runs; keep the fat.

  2. Step 2

    In a large casserole brown the pork belly (opens in a new tab) and Toulouse sausages (opens in a new tab) in a spoonful of duck fat. Remove, then soften the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the fat.

    Food safety: The sausages and pork belly are raw here; the long bake cooks them through (at least 71 °C).

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the beans, tomatoes, stock, thyme (opens in a new tab), bay, salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Bury the pork, sausages and duck legs in the beans so they are just covered with liquid.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Bake uncovered at 160 °C for about 2 hours. Each time a crust forms (every 30–40 minutes), push it gently under and let a new one form; add a little stock if it dries out.

  5. Step 5

    For the final 20 minutes scatter over the breadcrumbs (opens in a new tab) and a drizzle of duck fat to make a golden top. Rest 15 minutes before serving.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Languedoc (Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, Toulouse), France · Well documentedMore food from France
Dish
Dinner · Lunch · Casseroles & bakes · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Slow-cooked
Taste
rich, savoury, garlicky
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
White beans (canned) · Pork belly · Onion · Carrot · Garlic · Canned tomatoes
Techniques
Baking · Confit

Allergens

  • May contain: Milkfrom breadcrumbs
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom breadcrumbs
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Soyfrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Sesamefrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

975 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 553 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 19%
  • Fat 62%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy975 kcal176 kcal
Protein46.5 g8.4 g
Carbohydrate45.7 g8.3 g
Net carbohydrate36.6 g6.6 g
Sugars5.4 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.1 g1.6 g
Fat66.8 g12.1 g
Saturated fat23.4 g4.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol158 mg29 mg
Sodium1407 mg254 mg
Salt equivalent3.5 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1409 mg
Calcium
170 mg
Iron
9.4 mg
Magnesium
122 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
153 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
1.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: breadcrumbs.
  • Duck confit (confit duck legs): Roasted duck meat and skin used as a stand-in; confit legs are cooked slowly in fat and carry a little more fat and salt.
  • Toulouse sausage: Raw mild Italian pork sausage used as a stand-in; Toulouse sausage is a coarse fresh pork sausage seasoned only with salt and pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cassoulet is even better reheated the next day, when the flavours have melded.

Common mistakes

  • Stirring the beans: break the crust gently, but stirring turns the beans to mush.

Serve with

  • Serve with a green salad and a robust red wine from the south-west.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat in the oven at 160 °C with a splash of stock until piping hot.

Variations

  • Cassoulet de Toulouse: Includes more sausage and sometimes mutton; Carcassonne's version may add partridge or lamb.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

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