Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat , pork skin, and white haricot beans.  The dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides.  Haute cuisine versions require mixing pre-cooked roasted meats with beans that have been simmered separately with aromatic vegetables, but this runs counter to cassoulet's peasant origins. In the process of preparing the dish it is traditional to deglaze the pot from the previous cassoulet in order to give a base for the next one. This has led to stories of a single original cassoulet being extended for years or even decades.  In American restaurants, the term "cassoulet" is often applied to any hearty bean-based casserole.   -Taken from Wikipedia

Here is Angela's version, not too fussy, but worth the effort! Thanks for the great meal!


2 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds assorted cooked smoked sausages (andouille or kielbasa) or uncooked sausages that are fried in a pan.

4 large leeks (white and plae green parts only.), thinly sliced

6 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

1/2 cup brandy or apple cider

2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with roasted garlic in the juice)

3 (15 oz) can of Great Northern Beans

10 oz of frozen baby lima beans, thawed or  chopped celery and carrots.

1 cup (or more) canned chicken broth, or stock

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups diced country style bread

1 pound fresh tomatoes, seeded, diced (squeeze out the juice)

1/2 cup fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat 2 tbls of oil in oven proof pot oven medium heat.

Add sausages, cook until browned, about 25 minutes. Transfer to plate and cut into 1/2 inch rounds.

Add leeks and garlic to the same pot.  Sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes.

Mix in apple, rosemary, and sage.

Add brandy and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Mix in canned tomatoes with juices, canned beans with 1/2 cup reserved juices, lima beans, and broth, tomato paste and cloves.

Add sausages and season with pepper.

Bring cassoulet to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven, bake for 30 minutes.

Can be made up to two days ahead.  Uncover when cooling then store in refrigerator.

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Croutons:  Heat 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and sauté until golden brown, stirring often. about 25 minutes.
 (I did mine in the oven, used extra ones for croutons in a caesar salad the next day.)
Combine fresh tomatoes and  parsley in a large bowl, mix in bread, season this topping with salt and pepper. 
Spoon onto cassoulet and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Freezer instructions:  
Cool uncovered.  Freeze in foil container or casserole dish when cooled.

Thaw before baking, bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, adding more broth if dry.

Include bread cubes in a ziplock bag to top the cassoulet, parsley and fresh tomatoes don't freeze well, so were not included in the exchange.
PS. I would freeze this in two batches if given to smaller families...this is a lot of food when you add in the bread!  :)