Easy Chorizo Cassoulet Recipe
This easy chorizo cassoulet slow bakes with white beans and canned tomatoes for a seriously hearty meal, worthy of all the hype! Sprinkle with homemade breadcrumbs for an extra crunchy topping!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1278kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lb chorizo sausage
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz pancetta cubed
- 1 medium red onion about 2 cups, diced
- 1 large shallot minced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp anchovy paste
- 1 (28 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 oz) canned cherry tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz) canned white beans such as navy beans, cannelini beans, or northern beans
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups homemade pumpernickel breadcrumbs see note below
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt divided
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- zest from 1 lemon
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat, then add 4 oz. pancetta and cook until crispy on all sides, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate or bowl.
- Increase heat to medium-high, then add onion and shallot. Cook 2 minutes, until translucent, then add 5 cloves sliced garlic. Cook 1 minute more.
- Add 1 Tbsp anchovy paste, then use a wooden spoon to break up and dissolve. Next, add tomatoes, beans, cooked pancetta, 2-3 sprigs thyme, and 1 bay leaf, then toss gently to combine. Season with 1 tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Nestle uncooked chorizo into sauce, then add ½ cup chicken stock.
- Meanwhile, make breadcrumbs. Combine 3 cups fresh bread crumbs with 6 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, ½ tsp kosher salt, and lemon zest, then toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle half the breadcrumb mixture evenly on top of chorizo and sauce, then bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle on remaining breadcrumbs directly on top of cassoulet, then bake an additional hour. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Chorizo and pancetta: traditional French cassoulet is made with a variety of meats -- usually pork and duck -- but you can use chicken chorizo or other types of sausage and cured meats if you prefer!
- Tomatoes: Any type of canned tomatoes are fine -- whole, crushed, diced, puréed. Use what you've got.
- Beans: traditional cassoulets use dried large Tarbais or Corona beans that are soaked overnight. The beauty of this time saving cassoulet is that it's totally acceptable to use canned! You can, of course, soak beans overnight and use those instead if that's desired.
- Breadcrumbs: if you don't have or don't want to use homemade breadcrumbs, substitute 2 cups panko breadcrumbs. If you're using fresh, you can use any bread you have on hand -- sourdough, baguette, country loaf, whole wheat, rye!
- Anchovies: you can substitute 2 jarred anchovies in place of anchovy paste. You'll still dissolve them with a wooden spoon in the pan before adding tomatoes.
- Freeze: cassoulet is best enjoyed fresh, but you can assemble and freeze either before or after baking. After cooking sauce, allow to cool completely, then transfer to a casserole dish. Once cool, add uncooked chorizo and freeze without breadcrumbs. When ready to cook, defrost overnight, then top with breadcrumb mixture and bake according to cook time above. If freezing cooked cassoulet, simply defrost overnight then reheat in 325F oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 1278kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 91g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 3677mg | Potassium: 990mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 6mg
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