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Duck Cassoulet is the French comfort food you didn’t know you needed. This slow-cooked cassoulet recipe layers creamy white beans, herby sausage, and rich duck confit into one ridiculously satisfying pot—and yes, my sous vide duck confit are the easiest way to get there.
It’s rustic, meaty, and exactly what a chilly weekend calls for, especially with some crusty bread to mop it all up.
Here is Why This Recipe Works
All the meats: Salt pork, sausage, tenderloin, and duck confit? It’s a pork parade with duck as the grand marshal. And if you’ve got extra duck confit, it’s also killer in this duck pasta recipe.
Bean perfection: Soaked and par-cooked cannellini beans hold their shape and soak up all that meaty broth without turning to mush.
Flavor layering: Browning each meat separately builds flavor with every step. Nothing bland here.
That broiled finish: Brushing the duck legs with oil and broiling at the end gives you that golden, crackly skin everyone fights over.
Recipe Tips
Soak the beans: Don’t skip the overnight soak—it helps them cook evenly and prevents gut drama later.
Brown in batches: Sear meats in stages so they caramelize instead of steaming. Worth the extra few minutes.
Don’t forget the clove onion: It infuses the broth subtly. Just remember to fish it out before serving.
Use duck fat if you can: It adds an extra layer of richness that’s hard to beat.
Watch the broiler: Keep an eye on the duck legs under the broiler. Crisp is good, charred is not.
Try a simpler spin: Love the beans-and-pork combo but not ready for full cassoulet commitment? My butter beans with pork hits the same comfort zone with fewer steps.
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Cassoulet with Duck, Sausage and Pork
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cannellini beans
- 3 tablespoons duck fat , or vegetable oil
- 8 ounces salt pork , cut into ½ inch cubes
- 4 pork sausage links
- 8 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch slices
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups duck broth, or chicken broth
- ½ onion, studded with 6 cloves
- 6 Sous Vide confit duck legs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme
Instructions
For the Beans:
- Place beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Soak the beans for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the beans, then cover them with 2-inches of cold water and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, cook for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Make the Duck Cassoulet:
- In a 6-qt. Dutch oven or large braiser set over medium-low heat, add half of the duck fat. When the fat melts, add the cubes of salt pork. Stir occasionally to brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and reserve.
- Prick the sausages in several places to keep them from splitting. Add the sausages to the pot turning until well brown on all sides. Remove to the plate and reserve.
- Add half of the pork tenderloin cubes to the pan and sear them until brown. Place them on a plate and continue browning the remaining pork cubes.
- Melt the remaining fat/oil in the pan, then add the carrots, fennel, chopped onion, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the drained beans, Herbs de Provence, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the chicken and duck broth into the pot, and stir to combine. Nestle the clove-studded onion into the mixture,
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are tender to the al dente stage.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Stir in the browned sausages and pork cubes. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven, and discard the clove-studded onion. Lay the duck legs on top of the cassoulet, snuggling them lightly into the juices but leaving them partially exposed. Cover the pot and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the duck legs to heat through.
- Transfer from the oven, remove the cover, and brush the exposed duck legs lightly with olive oil. Turn the oven to broil and cook until the duck legs are golden brown and the skin is crisp, about 5-6 minutes.
- Transfer from the oven, garnish with chopped rosemary and thyme leaves. Serve immediately directly from the pot with crusty bread.
Notes
- We used our Sous Vide Duck Legs for this recipe but most grocery stores will stock duck confit in the frozen meat section.
- Pork belly can be substituted for the salt pork.
- For extra flavor add 1/2 cup of white wine to the sauteed vegetables, cooking for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol, then proceed with adding the chicken and duck broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors only get better.
Freeze: Let the cassoulet cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over low heat or in a 300°F oven, covered, until heated through. Add a splash of broth if it looks dry.
Prefer your duck with a hint of citrus instead of beans? Check out my duck legs with orange for a totally different kind of cozy.
Cassoulet with Duck
This Duck Cassoulet is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you’re winning at winter. It’s meaty, comforting, and full of layered, slow-cooked flavor.
Make some no-knead rosemary bread, you’re gonna need it to soak up every last drop. Craving more duck but want something a little quicker? My roasted duck breast delivers all the flavor without the wait.
Duck cassoulet with sausage and pork recipe is usually cooked with duck fat or vegetable oil. Instead, I have used grass-fed ghee. Ghee has added creamy texture and a nutty flavor in the recipe, which is more delectable than vegetable oil. You may try ghee cooking for this recipe.
https://milkio.co.nz/grass-fed-ghee/
Hey, thanks for the tip, Sofia….I will keep that in mind.
Wish I could join you for the feast! This looks incredibly delicious, Pat.