Description
Thomas Keller’s Slow Cooker Cassoulet is a comforting, hearty French-inspired stew featuring tender pork shoulder, smoky chorizo, creamy beans, and rich tomato flavors. Slow-cooked to perfection, this cassoulet offers deep, layered taste with a golden toasted breadcrumb topping and crispy bacon garnish, perfect for a warming family meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meat and Protein
- 3 1/2-4 lb. boneless pork shoulder
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon or diced pancetta
- 1 1/2 pounds cooked or smoked Spanish-style chorizo sausage
Produce
- 3 medium yellow onions coarsely chopped
- 1 head of garlic halved crosswise
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley plus more for garnishing
- 28 oz. peeled Italian plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
Pantry
- 3 tsp kosher salt divided
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
- 2 cups dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, etc.)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 12 cups cooked Great Northern beans or cannellini beans drained (~7 cans)
Instructions
- Prepare Pork: Trim the pork shoulder of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces. Place in a large bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper until well combined. Set aside.
- Toast Breadcrumbs: In a large skillet, combine canola oil and panko breadcrumbs. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and toasted. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside.
- Cook Bacon: Cut bacon crosswise into ½-inch strips. In the same skillet, cook bacon for 5 minutes or until crispy. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet. Set bacon aside.
- Bread and Brown Pork: Place half of the pork pieces in the skillet with reserved bacon fat and sauté for 2 minutes per side until browned. Remove and repeat with remaining pork pieces.
- Sauté Onions: Add chopped onions and remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes until onions soften.
- Reduce Wine: Add white wine to the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes until reduced by half.
- Add Tomato and Broth: Stir in tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and chicken broth until combined. Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add Meats and Beans: Slice chorizo sausage diagonally into ½-inch slices and add to the slow cooker along with cooked beans, browned pork, and halved garlic head.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low for 10 hours until pork easily shreds with two forks.
- Finish Cassoulet: Remove and discard garlic halves. Stir in toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley until well combined. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve: Sprinkle each serving with crispy bacon, additional fresh parsley, and a pinch of kosher salt.
Notes
- Duck fat can be substituted for canola oil to add rich flavor.
- You can squeeze the softened garlic cloves from the halved heads into the cassoulet before serving for extra garlic flavor, but do not serve the whole garlic halves.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth to control saltiness.
- To save time, use canned beans that are well drained and rinsed.
- Allowing the cassoulet to rest after cooking improves the flavors and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
