The traditional peasant dish gets an easy, delicious upgrade with this Quick Cassoulet. Made with chicken sausages, bacon and white beans, plus ready in a fraction of the time, this Cassoulet will help you beat the winter blues!
Hi-ya friends! Happy Galentine’s Day to all you ladies out there!
And Happy ONE DAY until Valentine’s Day to everyone!
Aaaaand Happy Monday? <– That’s for all you glass half full type of folks.
How was your weekend?! Was it stupendous?
Did you spend it planning out some sort of elaborate shindig for you and your besties to kick back (lady-style) and celebrate tonight?
Or maybe you spent it picking out the perfect gift to give the love of your life tomorrow? Possibly something in a Tiffany Blue colored box?
Ooooor maybe you are like me. And you didn’t do any of those things. Oops?
Wait wait waaaaaiiiiiiit! Before you judge me, just know I’m not really a Valentine’s Day type of chick. It’s not that I’m ANTI Valentine’s Day. And, I definitely welcome gifts on any occasion.
I just don’t reserve my love for Boy to only one day a year.
He gets my love, and all my annoying glory, 365 days a year… and 366 on a leap year.
He’s a lucky one, what can I say? 😉
Anyways, in case you are still in need of some festively fun Valentine’s Day treats, let me just throw my two cents out there…
Going out to dinner is totally overrated. I mean, the crowded restaurants, wait times, and the over-priced food. You should show your loved one how much you care and COOK FOR THEM!
I propose you whip together this easy risotto or this quick salmon. (Shameless self promotion, I know!)
Now that we have all that covered, let’s get down to today’s business – food totally unrelated to Valentine’s Day.
Easy and Quick Cassoulet
Also known as your new favorite comfy, cozy dish.
Which also happens to be super quick and excellently easy.
BUT, before some stickler out there gets their knickers in a twist, let me just say this is NOT a traditional cassoulet.
It IS, however, the best imposter. EVER.
And, if you ask me, this cheater’s cassoulet happens to be BETTER.
How?
LESS TIME. No waiting for the meat and beans to braise for hours. With this cassoulet you get scrumptious satisfaction in a FRACTION of the time.
LESS CALORIES. Most traditional cassoulets are made of various sausages and preserved meats. But this cassoulet is made lighter and healthier with chicken sausage. This means you can eat MORE, which is always a win in my book.
Now that we’ve covered how awesome this cassoulet is, let’s describe how AMAZING it TASTES.
Juicy, plump, slightly sweet apple flavored chicken sausages lovingly snuggled into a stew-like mixture of tender white beans, crispy, salty bacon, earthy herbs and tender veggies; topped with crunchy panko and baked until bubbly perfection.
This skinny cassoulet is savory-sweet, comforting BLISS.
What is a cassoulet?
A cassoulet, pronounced kas-uh-ley, is a rich, stew-like casserole which originated in the south of France.
There are many different versions of a cassoulet casserole, but in its most simple form it is made with meat, white beans and herbs. While some varieties use pork or duck, and others goose or mutton, this quick cassoulet uses chicken sausages and bacon.
What does cassoulet mean?
The word cassoulet is derived from the actual traditional earthenware casserole in which it is cooked, known as a cassolle or cassolo. Originally a cassoulet was cooked in a cassolle in a hearth, or bread baker’s oven, using low, residual heat.
How to make a quick cassoulet:
First are going to heat a couple splashes of olive oil in a large skillet until glistening. Throw in the chicken sausages and cook them until they are cooked through and golden brown on all sides. Remove those to a plate and set aside.
Next, you will add in the diced bacon and cook until crispy and the fat is rendered out. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a small ramekin and set aside.
Then, add the onions and carrots to the skillet and sauté those in the bacon fat until softened. Add in the celery, then the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Pour in the beans, some broth, a bit of wine and some fresh herbs, then bring everything to a simmer. Reduce the heat and let that do its thing for a beat.
Dump in the tomatoes and let that hang out for a minute. Stir in the bacon, snuggle the chicken sausages into the bean mixture, sprinkle everything with panko and transfer the skillet to the oven.
Bake the cassoulet until everything is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Pull the chicken cassoulet from the oven and garnish it with some more fresh herbs.
Grab a loaf of crusty bread and DEVOUR.
Tips & Tricks for the best quick cassoulet:
- If you are looking to pinch a few pennies, you can absolutely use dried white beans instead of canned. Just make sure you soak them and cook them prior.
- While chicken apple sausages taste absolutely DELICIOUS in this dish, you can substitute any type of sausage you would like. Just make sure to follow the recipe and cook them fully before adding them to the cassoulet.
- The white wine in the recipe adds a nice depth of flavor, but you can skip it and just use all chicken broth if you would like.
- You can make this cassoulet RIGHT IN the skillet (as I instructed in the “how to make this” section above). OR, you can transfer everything to a casserole dish before baking. I transferred mine for photography purposes only. I suggest you just bake it right in the skillet for easy clean up. Just make sure you use a LARGE, STRAIGHT-SIDED, OVEN PROOF skillet (a cast iron skillet works wonderfully here).
- If you want your panko topping to get extra brown and crunchy, you can switch the oven to high broil during the last couple minutes of baking. Just make sure you watch the cassoulet carefully as it can go from golden brown and delicious to burned in a flash!
Hearty, comforting and oh-so delicious, this Easy and Quick Cassoulet will definitely help you beat the winter blues!
Until Thursday friends, cheers – to a wonderful Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day!
XOXO
Cheyanne
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Easy and Quick Cassoulet recipe👇
Easy and Quick Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Pounds Chicken Apple Sausages (about 6 each)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon , diced
- 1 Yellow Onion – diced
- ¾ Cup Carrot – peeled and small dice (about 2 medium carrots)
- ¾ Cup Celery – small dice
- 4 Cloves Garlic – peeled and chopped
- 2 (15 ounce) Cans Cannellini Beans – rinsed & drained
- ½ Cup Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
- ¼ Cup White Wine *
- 2 Sprigs each – Fresh Thyme and Rosemary , plus more for garnish
- 1 (14.5 ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes
- ½ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9’’ baking dish. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, straight sided, oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausages and cook, turning frequently, until golden brown and cooked through, about 7-9 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the bacon to the skillet. Cook until it starts to crisp, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a small bowl or ramekin and set aside.
- Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan (add more oil to get 2 tablespoons of fat if pan is dry). Add the onions and carrots to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, then add the celery. Continue to saute, stirring, until celery is softened, an additional 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in the beans, broth, wine, thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer again. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and discard.
- *Optional: Use a large spoon to transfer half of the beans to greased baking dish. Use tongs to transfer the chicken sausages on top. Evenly spoon and distribute the remaining beans into the dish.
- Sprinkle the panko evenly on top and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until beans are bubbly and panko topping is golden brown*. Let cool slightly before serving, garnished with fresh thyme and rosemary leaves.
Keith and I are big fans of cassoulet, but I’ve never made it at home because it always seemed so complicated. But look at you! You’ve made it manageable and it looks totally mouthwatering.
I loveee cassoulet and this apple sausage variation looks amazing!! I also love that it can be whipped up with more everyday, on-hand ingredients! 🙂
He IS a lucky one. And so am I, to have this fabulous recipe. It’s nearly midnight and what I would give to have a little midnight snack of this amazing cassoulet. It’s frigid out tonight and snowing, and just the thought of this warm and comforting dish on a night like tonight. Perfection. Sounds so wonderful my friend. You never disappoint. XOXO
I am ALL about this, girl!!! I just bought a big package of chicken apple sausage at Costco today so it was pretty much fate 🙂 totally gotta make this deliciousness for dinner soon.
Now if only I could snap my fingers and this would appear for dinner tonight! haha Sounds fantastic!! We’re not really big valentine’s day people either. I was planning to cook but then somehow we wound up last minute at the restaurant that gets ALL our money down the street 😉 haha I mean, it’s not our fault when you see a reservation open up literally 30 minutes before hand!
This cassoulet looks beautiful Cheyanne! Your photos are always so amazing! <3 Love how quick this recipe is to make too. Pinned!! <3
I love the way you think, Chey! Fast, easy, and delicious is always a win in my book. That chicken apple sausage sounds fantastic in your quick cassoulet. And yes, Boy is one lucky fella to get your love 365/366 days a year! XO 🙂
yup cooking at home is the best and that’s exactly what I did for Valentine’s Day – cooked for him! 🙂 This sounds lovely Chey! hope you had a wonderful V day!
This looks downright DELISH and not as hard as one might think. Love sautéing in the bacon fat too. Gotta use that whenever you can! Pinning this one to try later. I’m making us some Balsamic Pork Tenderloins for din din tonight. Thanks Chey!
This looks lovely. I love a great chicken apple sausage and using it in a cassoulet is a great idea! I’m with you on Valentine’s Day. It’s fun and all, but I’d much rather have a great dinner at home than go to some fancy restaurant and fight the crowds! Home cooking is so much better!
Imposters don’t get enough love!!! We are hours from Valentine’s Day and well, I have a household of sickies. Maybe this is just the dish to get my husband to crawl out of bed and make it to the dinner table! He won’t be able to resist the aroma of sausage and bacon. Happy Galentine’s Day!
Chicken, apples, sausage, beans?! Wow, what a truly one dish meal and really delicious and flavorful, apples and savory are a favorite!! I love cooking one dish meals, they make me feel like June Cleaver, that picturesque housewife, the kind before yoga pants were invented 😉 . Take care.
Girl, you always blow me away with your creativity! You make me feel so boring! Lol. This is a brilliant twist and SUCH a gorgeous dish!
Valentine’s is a lovely (Although highly commercialized) day. But you’re right – it’s just one of 360-something days to show your love. And indeed, I believe it should be celebrated at home, with a light and delicious (and perhaps a little bit fancy) meal. I’ve never had a cassoulet (I’m not sure I’ve heard this name either), but this combination sounds fantastic!
WHYYYY are sausages just soooooooo good? This cassoulet looks phenomenal!
We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day anymore either but I totally wouldn’t mind sitting down to a big plate of delicious food! Love how easy and creative this gorgeous cassoulet is! And chicken apple sausage? Must find for the hubs!! <3
Funny, I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day !!! I don’t mind some good food and desserts though! This dish looks amazing! Hope you guys have a great (Valentine’s) day !
Having worked in a restaurant for years, working on Valentine’s Day/going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day is absolute misery. I would much rather be at home with my guy making homemade food and desserts. We don’t usually do anything crazy to celebrate either, but I do love a bit of chocolate (just to celebrate the holiday, you know).
I totally had to google what a cassoulet was, and yours looks much better than what google has to offer 🙂 Nothing beats a warm and cozy comfort meal!!
I spent all weekend inside (almost) watching (5) basketball games at my son’s tournament. Jealous? 🙂 As for tomorrow, we’ll be eating in with something chocolate for dessert! We eat chicken apple sauce often and I’m loving that you tossed it into a quick cassoulet. I’m definitely going to have to try this, and I hope you have an awesome Galentine’s Day! 🙂
I love all your suggestions here! I personally love Valentine’s Day because I love having an extra special day devoted to love! Plus I love Valentine’s day decorations and sweets and who needs an excuse to enjoy more of that, am I right?? In the meantime, for today I could totally nosh all this up!
I’m not a big Valentine’s Day person either. I prefer Galentine’s Day because WAFFLES.
But this is definitely something I would love to have on Valentine’s Day. It looks so hearty and perfect for the cold temps!
Hhahaha! Guess I fall into the glass-half full category – cos Monday’s lately have been happy for me – but Wednesdays is when the crazy begins and it doesn’t end till Friday 🙁
And today is an even happier Monday because this Quick Chicken Apple Sausage Cassoulet has sausage AND bacon in it! Cheyanne – I’ve not had the honor of face-planting into a cassoulet before and now I cannot wait to! My daughter has decided to go the vegetarian route – which is all good and all – but she get’s downright judgey when she sees me eat bacon or any meat other than fish – am gonna have to enjoy this in the bathroom – or maybe I’ll just come over to your place and eat with you?!
Btw, I hear ya on the whole V-day shebang – am not a vday gal at all – but I’m a day-after-v-day-when-all-candy-is-half-off-gal! Happy Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day to you too! xo
I’m a Vday girl. Now believe you me I spread my love 365, but I also love celebrating Valentine’s Day. Since the guy I’m dating lives in Baltimore, we won’t be able to go on a romantic date, but I’m praying the young man remembers to send me flowers. So many people protest Valentine’s Day, and I get it, it’s a made-up holiday but I think my obsession with love and hearts overrides the logical part of me and I get whisked away. Tomorrow I’m jumping off my diet and eating Chinese food, drinking my favorite wine and working on a craft project for the boy. I hope he likes it.
This looks perfect for any night of the year!! Sounds like we have similar thoughts on Love Day. I don’t take it too seriously either. My sister and I actually celebrated Galentine’s Day since before the term was coined! My husband and I usually get burgers on the 14th haha. Nice and simple.
Happy Monday Chey! Boy is one lucky man! I hope he knows that! This is our kind of dish. Tom and I are huge fans of sausage dishes and this one looks so hearty and comforting. We are staying in tomorrow night for dinner. Too busy on Valentine’s Day. Much more relaxing at home, enjoying a nice meal and a glass or two of wine! happy Valentine’s Day! XO
Pinning this to make for a weeknight dinner! Because it looks easy enough for a weeknight and also because I secretly love when recipes call for wine because that means I’ll have to open a bottle and finish it off with dinner 🙂
Happy Galentine’s Day!! Dude, it would be SO cool to celebrate those together–but with LOADS of your awesome cocktails, maybe just a *few* sweets from me, and lots of binge-watching of all the things. 😉 I spent my weekend just recovering from all the travel and missing you, of course. 🙂 LOL on your love for Boy. He is VERY lucky! Especially since he gets to enjoy amazing homemade meals like this cassoulet. It’s gorgeous, perfect and totally Valentine’s Day dinner-worthy. Pinned! Have an awesome week my dear. Text you soon. xoxo
These are my favorite kinds of meals. So flavorful and rustic! This has cozy winter’s night dinner written all over it! We vacillate for Valentine’s, however, the further along in years we go, the more we enjoy staying in and cooking up something special, together. Wishing you a great week, my friend! XO
Love this and loving the chicken apple sausage! Must find some of that asap 🙂 We never go out for Valentine’s. I’d rather save a nice dinner out for some time we are in the city to try a great, new place. Home cooking all the way (and wine 🙂
As probably know, fur baby’s b day is tomorrow so the day will definitely be more focused on him than me and hubby 🙂 Got to spoil him!! I could eat some sort of bean or lentil every.single.day. Love it! and this looks like the perfect comfort food and something that I would love to eat after coming in from these craaaazy cold days we’ve being having. Love that it’s quick to make and lighter on the calories….that means I could have a lil’ extra, right 😉 Happy Valentine’s day, my friend! Cheers!
I’m not really into Valentine’s Day either, so I definitely wasn’t picking out a gift this weekend (though I wouldn’t mind a little Tiffany box haha)! 🙂 We celebrate with our heart-shaped pizza and that’s enough for me. Although I might just have to add this dish to the menu, too. Such GORGEOUSNESS, Cheyanne! I absolutely love the chicken apple sausage in here! I must go and find that asap, because now I’m swooning over that. Sounds much better than regular chicken sausage! 🙂 This looks like the perfect comfort meal, and I’m loving how easy it is to make, too. Pinned, of course! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start, my friend!
I’m not a big Valentine’s girl either – but I’m all about cooking a delicious dinner and this one looks so cozy! I of course LOVE that you’ve made it faster and easier and lightened it up – right up my alley! Great winter comfort food! Hope you and Boy have a fun day and a yummy night! XO
No plans for Valentine Day, but making one of your cocktails sounds good. And this cassoulet makes me drool right now, I am so hungry!
I would rather have this for my Vday!! Chicken apple sausages sound really great to me.
You too have a sweet Valentine’s Day!