The Best Ina Garten Cassoulet Recipe for Cozy Comfort

Cassoulet, a hearty French classic, transforms humble ingredients into a culinary masterpiece that warms souls and delights taste buds.

Rich, comforting layers of tender meat and creamy beans create a rustic dish bursting with deep, complex flavors.

This traditional countryside recipe speaks to generations of home cooks who understand the magic of slow-simmered meals.

Fragrant herbs and slowly braised proteins merge into a symphony of textures that dance across your palate.

Robust and satisfying, the dish represents more than just a meal – it’s a celebration of French countryside cooking traditions.

Passionate chefs know that true comfort emerges from patient preparation and quality ingredients carefully combined.

Each spoonful promises a journey through rustic French culinary landscapes, inviting you to savor every delectable moment: bon appétit awaits.

Why Ina Garten’s Cassoulet Recipe is a Cozy Classic

• Savor Hearty Comfort: This cassoulet delivers maximum satisfaction with its rich, warming layers of protein, vegetables, and beans, creating a soul-warming dish perfect for cozy dinners.
• Masterful One-Pot Technique: Ina Garten's method brilliantly builds flavors by browning proteins and sautéing vegetables in the same pot, ensuring deep, complex taste without multiple complicated steps.
• Slow-Cooked Perfection: The 2-hour baking process transforms simple ingredients into a luxurious, tender meal where meats become meltingly soft and beans absorb all the delicious cooking juices.
• Flexible Protein Delight: Recipe allows easy customization by chopping sausages or using different protein cuts, making it adaptable for various preferences and ingredient availability while maintaining its classic French comfort food essence.

Cassoulet Ingredients, the Garten Edition

• Sausages: Hearty base protein with rich flavor, choose high-quality pork or mixed meat sausages.
• Chicken Breasts: Lean protein that adds softness and absorbs surrounding seasonings, select fresh and plump pieces.

• Onion, Carrot, Leeks: Classic mirepoix base providing depth and sweet undertones, use fresh and firm vegetables.
• Shallots, Garlic: Aromatic ingredients that enhance overall flavor profile, select firm and fragrant bulbs.

• White Wine: Deglazing agent that adds complexity and helps build flavor, choose dry white wine.
• Salt, Pepper: Essential seasonings for balancing and enhancing dish's taste, use freshly ground black pepper.
• Herbs: Provides herbal notes and complementary flavors, select fresh herbs for maximum taste.
• Parsley: Fresh garnish that adds brightness and visual appeal, choose vibrant green leaves.

• Beans: Hearty legume that adds texture and protein, select pre-cooked or canned white beans for convenience.

How to Make Cassoulet at Home

Step 1: Preheat Oven

Set the oven to a cozy 325℉, creating the perfect warm environment for our hearty cassoulet.

Step 2: Sizzle Sausages

Brown the sausages in a Dutch oven until they develop a gorgeous golden crust. Chop them into bite-sized pieces once they’re nicely seared.

Step 3: Cook Chicken

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then cook in the same pot until it’s fully cooked and has a beautiful golden exterior. Remove and set aside.

Step 4: Sauté Vegetables

• Onions
• Carrots
• Leeks

• Shallots
• Garlic

Sauté until they’re soft and fragrant.

Step 5: Deglaze with Wine

Pour white wine into the pot, scraping up all those delicious brown bits from the bottom. This builds incredible depth of flavor.

Step 6: Combine and Bake

• Beans
• Herbs

Cover and let the cassoulet slow-cook in the oven for 2 hours, allowing all the flavors to mingle and develop.

Step 7: Garnish and Serve

Sprinkle fresh parsley on top for a burst of color and freshness. Serve this comforting dish hot and enjoy the rich, complex flavors.

Cooking Tips for French-Style Comfort

• Select Premium Sausages: Choose high-quality, artisanal sausages like toulouse or garlic-herb varieties to elevate the cassoulet's depth and authentic French countryside flavor.
• Deglaze with Purpose: After browning meats, splash white wine into the pan to capture every delicious browned bit, creating a complex and rich flavor foundation for the dish.
• Stock Matters: Replace water with homemade chicken stock or a rich bone broth to intensify the overall taste and create a more luxurious, velvety texture in your cassoulet.
• Season Strategically: Taste and adjust salt and pepper throughout cooking, remembering that flavors will concentrate as the cassoulet slowly simmers and develops.
• Bread Crumb Brilliance: Top the cassoulet with freshly toasted, herbed bread crumbs for a crispy golden crust that adds wonderful textural contrast to the creamy beans and tender meats.

Storage Wisdom for Cassoulet Fans

• Vacuum Seal Method: Use a vacuum sealer to remove all air from the container, preventing freezer burn and maintaining flavor integrity. Professional chefs recommend this technique for preserving cassoulet's rich texture and complex taste profile.
• Portioning Technique: Divide leftover cassoulet into single-serving portions before storing. Individual containers make reheating easier and prevent repeatedly thawing and refreezing the entire batch, which can degrade quality and food safety.
• Cooling Strategy: Allow cassoulet to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. Rapid temperature changes can create moisture condensation, potentially compromising the dish's texture and introducing unwanted bacterial growth.

Cassoulet Tweaks You’ll Want to Try

• Rustic Mediterranean Cassoulet: Replace chicken with tender lamb shoulder, adding rosemary and thyme for an authentic Mediterranean flavor profile. Switch white wine to red wine for deeper richness.
• Seafood Coastal Cassoulet: Substitute protein with mixed seafood like shrimp, scallops, and white fish. Include saffron threads and swap herbs to create a lighter, ocean-inspired version.
• Vegetarian Hearty Cassoulet: Replace meat with roasted portobello mushrooms, smoked tofu, and additional root vegetables. Add smoky paprika and nutritional yeast for complex umami flavors.
• Spicy Southern French Cassoulet: Incorporate spicy chorizo sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, and hot red pepper flakes. Include fresh herbs like oregano and marjoram for extra zest.

A Hearty End to Cassoulet

Ina Garten’s cassoulet weaves French countryside comfort with sophisticated culinary craftsmanship.

Rich layers of protein, aromatic vegetables, and herbs create an unforgettable dining experience.

Careful techniques elevate classic ingredients into something extraordinary.

Mediterranean influences shine through each carefully prepared component.

Hearty warmth radiates from this traditional French casserole, inviting passionate home cooks to explore classic techniques.

French cuisine lovers will savor complex flavors and rustic elegance – so gather friends, uncork wine, share this incredible dish, and let regional French magic enchant your table.

Culinary adventurers: spread deliciousness, spark conversations, ignite taste buds, and make meal memories that connect through incredible cooking.

Low-Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole Recipe

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4.5 from 25 reviews

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Savory Low-Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole delivers classic burger flavors without the carbs. Melted cheese, crispy bacon, and ground beef create a satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again.

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Ingredients

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Meat:

• 2 pounds (907 grams) ground beef
• 1 pound (454 grams) cooked bacon, cut into pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Seasonings:

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Dairy and Binding:

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces (340 grams) shredded cheddar cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), creating the ideal temperature for a perfectly baked casserole.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add ground beef, introducing minced garlic and onion powder for enhanced flavor depth.
3. Sauté the meat, breaking it into fine crumbles until completely browned and thoroughly cooked, approximately 5-7 minutes.
4. Carefully drain excess fat from the skillet, ensuring a lean protein base for the casserole.
5. Transfer the seasoned ground beef into a 9×13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly across the bottom as the foundational layer.
6. Distribute of crispy crumbled bacon over the beef, creating a smoky and textural element.
7. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs until well combined, then incorporate heavy cream, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Gently fold of shredded cheddar cheese into the egg mixture, ensuring comprehensive integration of ingredients.
9. Delicately pour the egg and cheese blend over the meat and bacon layer, allowing it to settle evenly across the casserole.
10. Sprinkle an additional of shredded cheddar cheese on top, creating a golden, melted surface.
11. Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, watching for a rich golden-brown crust and checking for doneness with a knife inserted in the center.
12. Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes, helping the ingredients set and making portioning easier.
13. Slice into servings and enjoy warm, optionally accompanied by a crisp side salad for a complete meal experience.

Notes

• Transforming classic burger flavors into a comforting, low-carb casserole that satisfies without the bread.
• Perfectly balanced meal captures all the juicy, cheesy goodness of a cheeseburger in a single baking dish.
• Minimal prep means you’ll have a delicious dinner ready in under an hour with simple ingredients.
• Ideal for meal preppers and those following ketogenic or low-carb dietary approaches.
• Freezes beautifully, making it an excellent make-ahead option for busy weeknight dinners or quick lunches.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Lunch
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8
• Calories: 573 kcal
• Sugar: 1g
• Sodium: 1080mg
• Fat: 47g
• Saturated Fat: 19g
• Unsaturated Fat: 24g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 4g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 37g
• Cholesterol: 315mg