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A Simpler Variation on the Traditional French Cassoulet

This is an amazingly wonderful variation on the French cassoulet, but one that is little easier and less expensive than the traditional recipes, yet the aroma, flavor, and texture of this recipe is every bit as delightfully delicious as it is inexpensive. Don’t be put off by this being a French recipe. This is not the sort of thing that is only achieved by a French chef. Yes, it is a little involved, but it is still pretty easy to follow and achieve this spectacularly savory and sumptuous meal.

Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 636 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups fresh bread cube very coarse, 1" cubes
  • ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
  • 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
  • 1.25 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces bacon about 4 slices
  • 2 lbs chicken boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 whole medium yellow onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 can cannellini beans 14.5 ounces, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces, drained
  • coarse salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Combine bread cubes, cheese, 1 tablespoon each parsley and thyme, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and ½ teaspoon sage; season with salt and pepper.

  3. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
  4. Add chicken to pot; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  5. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.
  6. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
  7. Add wine and cook, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
  8. Stir in chicken, sausage, beans, tomatoes, and broth, plus remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 teaspoon each rosemary and thyme, and ½ teaspoon sage; season with salt and pepper.

  9. Sprinkle with bread cube mixture.

  10. Cover pot; bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.
  11. Uncover; bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  12. Let cool slightly before serving.

Recipe Notes

Wine and Beer Pairing:

Some wine Wine pairings recommendations include Marcillac, Madiran, Cahors (and other malbecs), Hearty Languedoc reds such as Minervois and Corbières, Côtes du Roussillon, and Côtes du Rhône Villages. Or for Spainish wines, perhaps Rioja Crianza or a Mencia. And if you wanted a white I’d go for a white Côtes du Rhône.

When it comes to beer, you might consider a La Blonde D'Esquelbecq Saison by Brasserie Thiriez, or something darker like Abbey Dubbel which due to higher carbonation could help lift the starch and fat from the palate while having enough scale and darker flavor to register well on the palate. On the other hand, perhaps you don't feel the need to add to or match the cassoulet’s richness, so you, like the idea of going with something brighter to lighten the dish. In that case, I think a Flemish sour gets you a nice combo of acidity and darker malt flavors. Lastly, another foodie friend recommended Biere de Garde with cassoulet to me as being a classic pairing.

 

Cost:

The cost for everything I bought for this recipe or used a portion of from my pantry (e.g., dry white wine, boxed chicken broth) was approximately $15. The bread was another $3, and when served with bread, the servings were a tiny bit smaller enabling 8 servings, which comes out to $2.25 a serving.

 

Time and Effort:

This recipe does take some time and effort, so it is the sort of thing I would do on a weekend. But again, even though it is a little involved, if you go step-by-step, it is a very achievable recipe and one that you can be extremely proud of achieving.

 

Alex Approved:

This is not yet an ‘Alex Approved’ recipe, yet I remain hopeful for the not too distant future. The flavor is just a bit too bold and sophisticated for his palette, plus to him, it just seems like there must be some vegetables in there somewhere ;-)

 

Leftovers:

This dish is a good or better on the second or third day, so it is a fantastic meal to have some leftover for later in the week.

 

Health:

This is pretty healthy meal but if you are on a heart healthy diet it, it does consume your daily allowance for saturate fat and over half your allowance for dietary cholesterol.

 

Variations:

Give yourself freedom to tailor this recipe to your desires.  I just recently prepared this recipe but added another cup of broth, another can of beans and changed the sausage from links to sweet sausage from the meat counter and I increased the quantity from 1.5 to 2 pounds. It was wonderful.  Both my sweetheart and mother encourage me to add more tomatoes as well.