Recently while enjoying a dinner out in Portland OR, my beau ordered the bean cassoulet . He took one bite, his eyes popped open and he exclaimed, "Grammma's beans!". He was transported back to his youth and comforting memories. This is what makes cooking so rewarding, getting a reaction like the one he experienced. So I went on a quest to make a bean cassoulet that was easy, tasty and as close to scratch as I could get with I had on hand.
This version tastes like home to me and it will become a staple in this household. It didn't taste exactly like what we had at the restaurant and I didn't expect it to be either. Come on...those people are professionals!
Anywhooo, before this, I have never made beans in the slow cooker. Good golly Miss Molly, why have I never tried this before? In my quest to produce less waste in my life and to eat healthier, I've been buying as much of my food in bulk as I can. Now when I say bulk, I'm not talking pallets of food, but buying it unpackaged and just what I need. I did this with the beans. I bought white northern, kidney and pinto beans. I bought enough of each to fill a small glass storage jar for my pantry. Now I have beans for any other dishes I make or when I make this one again. Which I most definitely will.
You can prep this the day before and plug it in when you leave for work or let it cook overnight and it's ready in the morning. I did the latter, let it cool then portioned it out and put most of it in the freezer. What I left out, we can eat either as a meal or portion it out as a side dish during the week.
Here is all you'll need to make this pot of deliciousness:
1 lb pork sausage, loose or links with casings removed. Keep in mind, the quality of the sausage will have a direct effect on the flavor of the cassoulet
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 onion roughly chopped
12 oz beans (use a variety w/ white northern)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
If you have a spare parmesan rind, toss it in for more depth of flavor.
Here are the super simple directions:
Brown and break up the sausage. Drain any excess fat.
Put the sausage, celery, carrots, onion, beans and stock in the slow cooker. Set it for 8 hours. The beans should be done by then. If not, simply let them cook longer. When cooked through, add the can of tomatoes and let simmer for 1 hour.
If the cassoulet is too soupy, scoop out some beans and mash them until creamy. Stir bean paste back into the cassoulet. Do this until you have the desired consistancy. Or you can use the broth to make a flour roux.
I do have a confession to make. My recipe calls for 10 oz of chicken stock. When prepping this dish I realized I only had 4 cups of stock so I used water for the rest. As good as this cassoulet was, I wonder how much better it would be with the full 10 oz of stock. I'll try that next time, however with the 4 cups stock and 6 cups water, it was still great!
If you have a parmesan rind, toss it in to cook with the
The beauty of this recipe is you can modify it to your liking by adding additional or different root vegetables, using different beans or meat (polka keilbasa, flavored sausages) or by adding herbs and/or spices. Possibilities are endless!
A crusty bread or side salad and you've got a delicious meal. Or serve them as a side. Either way, it's a taste of childhood.
Give it a try and let me know how it worked for you. Feed back is much appreciated!
This version tastes like home to me and it will become a staple in this household. It didn't taste exactly like what we had at the restaurant and I didn't expect it to be either. Come on...those people are professionals!
Anywhooo, before this, I have never made beans in the slow cooker. Good golly Miss Molly, why have I never tried this before? In my quest to produce less waste in my life and to eat healthier, I've been buying as much of my food in bulk as I can. Now when I say bulk, I'm not talking pallets of food, but buying it unpackaged and just what I need. I did this with the beans. I bought white northern, kidney and pinto beans. I bought enough of each to fill a small glass storage jar for my pantry. Now I have beans for any other dishes I make or when I make this one again. Which I most definitely will.
You can prep this the day before and plug it in when you leave for work or let it cook overnight and it's ready in the morning. I did the latter, let it cool then portioned it out and put most of it in the freezer. What I left out, we can eat either as a meal or portion it out as a side dish during the week.
Here is all you'll need to make this pot of deliciousness:
1 lb pork sausage, loose or links with casings removed. Keep in mind, the quality of the sausage will have a direct effect on the flavor of the cassoulet
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 onion roughly chopped
12 oz beans (use a variety w/ white northern)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
If you have a spare parmesan rind, toss it in for more depth of flavor.
Here are the super simple directions:
Brown and break up the sausage. Drain any excess fat.
Put the sausage, celery, carrots, onion, beans and stock in the slow cooker. Set it for 8 hours. The beans should be done by then. If not, simply let them cook longer. When cooked through, add the can of tomatoes and let simmer for 1 hour.
If the cassoulet is too soupy, scoop out some beans and mash them until creamy. Stir bean paste back into the cassoulet. Do this until you have the desired consistancy. Or you can use the broth to make a flour roux.
I do have a confession to make. My recipe calls for 10 oz of chicken stock. When prepping this dish I realized I only had 4 cups of stock so I used water for the rest. As good as this cassoulet was, I wonder how much better it would be with the full 10 oz of stock. I'll try that next time, however with the 4 cups stock and 6 cups water, it was still great!
If you have a parmesan rind, toss it in to cook with the
The beauty of this recipe is you can modify it to your liking by adding additional or different root vegetables, using different beans or meat (polka keilbasa, flavored sausages) or by adding herbs and/or spices. Possibilities are endless!
A crusty bread or side salad and you've got a delicious meal. Or serve them as a side. Either way, it's a taste of childhood.
Give it a try and let me know how it worked for you. Feed back is much appreciated!
