Quick Cassoulet
White beans baked with sausage and duck in a herby broth.
Ingredients
- 3 tin Cannellini beans
- 400 g Italian sausage
- 2 Duck legs
- 1 Onion
- 2 Carrot
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 200 g Canned tomatoes
- 60 g Breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Thyme (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C (350F).
- Brown the duck legs and sausage in a large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until well coloured, then set aside, leaving the rendered fat behind.
- Soften the onion, carrot, and garlic in the fat with the olive oil, then add the canned tomatoes and thyme and simmer to a thick base.
- Stir the beans and the browned meats into the base, season with salt, and scatter the breadcrumbs over the top.
- Bake until bubbling with a deep golden crust.
- Rest a few minutes, then serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Quick Cassoulet
Cassoulet is the great slow-cooked bean casserole of southwest France, traditionally an all-day affair of confit, sausage, and beans baked under a crust. This quick cassoulet keeps the soul of the dish — white beans, sausage, and duck simmered together and baked until the top browns — while trimming the timeline to something a home cook can manage in a little over an hour. Browning the duck legs and sausage first is essential: the rendered fat left behind becomes the cooking medium for the vegetables and the base of the whole dish's flavor.
What you get is deeply savory and rich, the cannellini beans turning creamy as they soak up a herby, tomato-flecked broth studded with duck and sausage. The scattering of breadcrumbs on top is a nod to the classic, crisping into a golden crust that's part of cassoulet's identity — the contrast of that crust against the soft beans beneath is the whole point. This is cold-weather comfort food, a hearty centerpiece for six that wants little more than a green salad and bread alongside. It's a smart way to get the essence of a legendary dish without committing a full day to it.
Quick Cassoulet: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Quick Cassoulet?
A serving has about 617 calories — 41.2g protein, 46.1g carbs, 29.6g fat, 9.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 41.2g of protein, roughly 27% of its calories.
Is Quick Cassoulet gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Breadcrumbs. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Quick Cassoulet take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 30 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Quick Cassoulet?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out thyme — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Quick Cassoulet make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.