Cassoulet- Italian Style

Sharing is caring!

cassoulet

What is a cassoulet? It a dish originated in France which is basically a rich, slow cooked casserole typically made with white beans and a meat of some sort. It’s a hearty dish and quite perfect for the cooler temperatures we’re experiencing now as fall approaches.

In place of the more traditional meats the French would use, I wanted to make mine Italian style by adding some good quality Italian sausage. I chose one that is nicely spiced throughout with a good amount of fennel seed which I feel compliments all the other flavors in this dish.cassoulet beans

 

I have to admit I don’t often cook with dried beans, I like the convenience of canned beans and they taste pretty good. But after making this dish I realized that there is absolutely no comparison to the taste and texture of cooked dried beans to canned.

Even though you could make this dish with canned beans I HIGHLY recommend you go through the process of making them from scratch. Dried beans are readily available but this specific brand, Rancho Gordo might not be so easy to find, especially this type of bean, so I would suggest to order them directly from their website ( and I’m not getting paid to say that). soaked beans

I went with the quick soak method, it helps the beans to cook faster. I also love adding aromatics after they’ve been soaking and ready to simmer, the beans really do take on the flavor and makes them taste even more delicious.

cassoulet

The cooked beans will get tossed in at the last ten minutes of cooking, just enough time to soak up all that luscious tasting juice!

cassoulet

It’s hearty, packed with flavor, simple and rustic and the perfect meal to make when there’s a chill in the air, you will love this!

Follow me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Cassoulet- Italian Style
 
Recipe adapted from Pam Anderson's Perfect One Dish Dinners
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1½ lb. Italian sausage with fennel seed or 6 nice size pieces
  • 3 pints cherry tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion cut into large chunks
  • 4 large garlic cloves, sliced
  • olive oil
  • thyme and rosemary
  • 4 cups of cooked dried beans preferred, or optional, canned beans
  • 1 lb. of dried beans, either cassoulet or cannellini
  • aromatics for beans to simmer in, such as onion, garlic and herbs
Instructions
  1. PREPARE BEANS, doing the the quick soak method.
  2. Rinse beans well and pick out any bad ones.
  3. Place them into a large pot and cover them with water three inches above the beans.
  4. Bring beans to a boil, turn off the flame and cover them and let them sit for 2 hours.
  5. After 2 hours you will see they have doubled in size, drain the water, return them to the pot and cover with water again.
  6. Add 3 whole garlic cloves, chunks of onion and a sprig of rosemary or thyme and simmer medium low for at least an hour but check for doneness, they should be tender and creamy.
  7. Add salt to taste after they're cooked.
  8. You'll have extra, but save and use for other recipes, (you won't regret it!)
  9. FOR THE CASSOULET
  10. Heat oven to 425F.
  11. In a deep baking dish drizzle the bottom with olive oil all over. Add the tomatoes, (whole), sliced garlic, onion and herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
  12. Nestle in your uncooked Italian sausage all around.
  13. Roast until sausages have a deep brown color and the tomatoes have released their juices and thickened up a bit, around 45 minutes.
  14. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in your cooked beans (without liquid) drizzle more olive oil on top and continue to roast for 10 more minutes until nicely heated through.
  15. Freshen up your herbs.
  16. Enjoy!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Sharing is caring!

Signature
 
Italian Sauces My Way E-Book

Comments

  1. Top of my Fall cooking list.!

  2. Hi Marie! This looks great. My grocery has sweet or spicy Italian sausage that this uncooked — which should I use? Thanks, Teresa

  3. Looking forward to trying this. One question. . Did you cover your baking dish? When I’ve roasted Italian sausage in the past it always seems to take forever to cook. So I usually cover it for most of the cooking time. And I’m assuming that you used all fresh herbs, in the roasting as well as the soaking.

    Thanks!
    Susan

    • Susan, I did not cover it at all, you want the sausage to get nicely brown on top, I never cover my sausage, and yes it’s fresh herbs all the way. Hope you enjoy it!

  4. Love this recipe, but… both canned and dried beans? Really, why?

  5. Marie, I have some homemade sausage in the freezer made by my talented neighbor and my father-in-law visiting next week so I will definitely prepare this. Rancho Gordo beans are really worth the trouble to order, the quality is unsurpassed. This recipe is the perfect one pan dinner – flavor, color, variety and absolutely gorgeous.

  6. WHY…cant I easily pin you recipes? 🙁

  7. I’m a little confused…is it 4 cups of cooked dried beans AND a pound of beans? Please help me!!

    This recipe looks so wonderful – I can hardly wait to make it. Thank you!

    • Yes Nina, I just made the whole pound and I saved the extra beans for something else, I used 4 cups of cooked beans but you could add or subtract a little more if you like.

  8. When I stayed at my sister’s, I made this for dinner. She said we are not waiting for dinner, we had it for lunch. 🙂 She makes it all the time now and freezes it in single servings for a quick meal. I am going to order some Gordos.

  9. Rancho Gordo beans are amazing! I’ve tried several types and they turned me in to a dried bean fan, too. I can’t wait to try your Italian Cassoulet recipe!

  10. Looks yum. I love Rancho Gordo beans. Quality is excellent.

Please leave a comment

*

Rate this recipe: