Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe

This Cassoulet With Sausage is a real show stopper, perfect for a grand holiday meal or a long weekend cooking project. It isn’t usually made with cinnamon and nutmeg in the lamb rub—traditional recipes are simpler—but we’ve added these warm spices to create a deep, complex flavor profile that echoes the medieval roots of the dish. To make the crust extra flavorful, you can toss the breadcrumbs with a little duck fat instead of olive oil. Not traditional, maybe, but very delicious.

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Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe Ingredients

• For the Beans:
  • 1 pound dried great Northern beans
  • 4 whole cloves, stuck into 1 large onion (halved)
  • 4 carrots and 2 stalks celery, halved
  • 1/4 pound pancetta, diced
  • 3 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs parsley, 3 bay leaves (tied in cheesecloth)
  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage (pricked with a fork)
  • 2 heads garlic (unpeeled, tops trimmed)
• For the Meat:
  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb or pork shoulder (cubed)
  • Spices: 1.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 3/4 pound pancetta, diced
  • 1 onion (chopped), 4 cloves garlic (smashed)
  • 1 can (14 oz) San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 wide strip orange zest
• For Assembly:
  • 3 cups cubed day-old sourdough bread (pulsed into crumbs)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

How To Make Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe

1. Prep the beans: Boil the beans for 5 minutes, then soak for 1 hour; drain. Return to pot with the clove-studded onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and herb sachet. Cover with water, boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
2. Cook sausage and garlic: Add salt, sausages, and the garlic heads to the bean pot. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until beans are tender but intact. Cool and refrigerate overnight (this improves flavor).
3. Braise the meat: Toss the lamb cubes with the sugar, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, cayenne, oil, salt, and pepper. Brown the lamb in a Dutch oven; remove. Cook the pancetta, chopped onion, and garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, porcinis, orange zest, and the browned lamb. Cover with a parchment round and lid; simmer on low for 2 hours until tender. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
4. Prep for assembly: The next day, skim the fat from both mixtures. From the bean pot: remove sausages (slice them) and garlic heads (squeeze out the cloves). Discard the vegetables and herbs.
5. Layer the pot: In a large Dutch oven, layer half the drained beans. Top with the lamb meat (no liquid yet). Add sliced sausages and squeezed roasted garlic cloves. Top with remaining beans.
6. Add liquid: Pour in all the liquid from the lamb mixture. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans.
7. Simmer and bake: Simmer uncovered on the stove for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse bread into crumbs and toss with oil. Sprinkle crumbs over the cassoulet. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 1 hour 30 minutes until the crust is golden and crusty. Rest for 15 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• The Overnight Rest: This recipe is designed to be cooked over two days. Cooling the beans and meat overnight allows the fats to rise for easy skimming and lets the beans absorb the savory broth without turning to mush.
• The Crust Break: Tradition dictates breaking the crust into the beans multiple times during baking. While this recipe suggests just one bake, feel free to break the crust halfway through to let it soak up more juices, then add fresh crumbs for a second crust.
• Squeeze the Garlic: The garlic heads cooked with the beans turn into sweet, soft paste. Squeezing this “garlic gold” back into the final dish adds a mellow sweetness that ties everything together.
• Porcini Power: The dried porcini mushrooms add a meaty umami depth that replaces the need for expensive duck confit found in some versions. Don’t skip them.

What To Serve With Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe

This Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe is an incredibly rich, heavy dish that serves as the entire meal. Because it contains beans, meat, and bread, you only need a light, acidic side. A simple Bitter Green Salad (frisée or radicchio) with a sharp mustard vinaigrette is perfect to cleanse the palate. A glass of robust Red Wine from the Languedoc or Cahors region is the traditional beverage pairing that stands up to the rich lamb and sausage.

How To Store Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the Dutch oven or airtight containers for up to 4 days. The flavors get even better with time.
• Freeze: Cassoulet freezes surprisingly well. Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven to re-crisp the top.

Cassoulet With Sausage Recipe Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 850 kcal
• Fat: 45g
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Protein: 55g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving.

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