Slow Cooker Cassoulet

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Slow Cooker Cassoulet Recipe

Slow Cooker Cassoulet is my version of the amazing French Cassoulet stew recipe. A thick, and chunky meat, bean and vegetable-filled casserole recipe that is slow-cooked for hours. The meats are tender and the gravy is rich with flavors.

What is Cassoulet?

Cassoulet is the French name of a delicious slow-cooked meat stew. The cassole is a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides and is the traditional cooking vessel for a Cassoulet in southern France.

In France, all cassoulets are made with white beans, duck, goose, sausages and other meats. I have never eaten duck or goose have you?

I can just imagine the look on my family’s face if I tried to feed them duck or goose. I knew I’d have much better luck and a satisfied family by making a pork and sausage cassoulet instead.

I was right. This slow-cooked pork Cassoulet recipe turned out amazing. The meats are tender. The gravy is perfectly flavored by the herbs, onions, garlic, and tomatoes.

Half of the great northern beans in the recipe are mashed before adding to the slow cooker and the mashed beans enrich and add body to the herb-infused gravy. Make this stew recipe today!

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I don’t own a cassole but I do own a slow cooker. If you don’t own a slow cooker you can also make this recipe in a pot on the stove, in a dutch oven or the Instant Pot.

You can find the directions to adapt this recipe to the stovetop or a dutch oven below.

Recipe Prep

• Trim the fat from the pork loin and cut into cubes.
• Remove the sausage from the packaging and cut it into cubes.
• Peel and dice the two onions.
• Wash, peel and slice the whole carrots and then cut the carrots into large dice size pieces.
• Open one can of Great Northern Beans drain and rinse under cold water. Put the drained beans into a bowl and use a potato masher to gently smash the beans.

Cooking Methods

• Slow Cooker
• Stovetop
• Dutch oven over an open campfire
• Dutch oven in the oven
• Pressure cooker or Instant pot

1. To make cassoulet in a slow cooker follow the directions below.
2. To make cassoulet on the stovetop using a large pot or dutch oven in place of the skillet in the directions below. Fry the bacon over medium heat in at least an 8-quart pot or dutch oven on the stove. Remove the bacon and drain. Brown the meats in the bacon grease and remove to a bowl. Saute the vegetables next in the pot or dutch oven. Once the vegetables are golden return the bacon and browned meats to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Heat to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer until the pork is cooked and tender. Add more beef broth if needed.
3. Making the recipe in a dutch oven in the oven following the same directions above except once all of the ingredients and beef broth have been added to the dutch oven place the lid on the dutch oven and place it into a preheated 375-degree oven. Cook until the pork is cooked through and tender about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add more beef broth as needed.

Cassoulet Recipe Tips

• If you don’t have time or don’t feel like sauteing the vegetables and browning the meat you can skip this step. The Cassoulet will still taste delicious. When you saute the vegetables and meat to a golden brown it adds a richness to the flavor. It is worth the extra fifteen minutes it will take.
• I slightly thickened the broth with cornstarch. I like a slightly thickened broth in my stews. Cornstarch and water is the best way to thicken stews and soups without changing the flavor.

Because I know you love slow cooker recipes as much as I do head over to my main Slow Cooker Recipes page where you will find links to all my slow cooker recipes. Flour On My Face is the ultimate resource for easy crock pot recipes for busy families! Take a look around!

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 carrots, washed, peeled and diced.
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained and divided
• 1 lb. lean boneless pork loin roast, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 dried bay leaf
• 2 to 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cool water (optional, for thickening the broth)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Crusty Peasant bread or 5 Minute No-Knead Bread (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan, leaving the drippings. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.
2. Add the onion, diced carrot, minced garlic, salt and pepper to the pan.
3. If using dried thyme and rosemary add it to the pan and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
4. Place the sauteed vegetable mixture into a 6 or 8-quart crock pot.
5. Add the smoked sausage to the hot pan and lightly brown. Remove to the crock pot.
6. Add the cubed pork to the hot saute pan and saute until lightly browned. Add the browned pork to the crock pot.
7. Add the undrained diced tomatoes to the crock pot.
8. Add the chunky mashed beans to the slow cooker. Open the other can of beans, drain and rinse well. Add the second can of drained beans to the slow cooker.
9. If using fresh thyme and rosemary add it to the crock pot with the dried bay leaf.
10. Pour the beef broth in and stir with a wooden spoon.
11. Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours or until the cubed pork is cooked through the center.
12. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.serve with crusty bread.
13. Serves 8

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