JP's Cassoulet with Sausages

Cassoulet is a famous dish from southwestern France. It always contains white beans and usually duck or goose—as well as roast pork and sausages. This satisfying simplified version is easily made with sausages and canned white kidney (cannellini) beans. I prepare it in large ovenproof soup bowls, but you could also serve it into individual bowls without browning it in the oven. A simple stew of sausage and beans, the ingredients can be assembled in the individual bowls and refrigerated, ready to cook, the night before serving. The cassoulet will then take slightly longer to cook, since the ingredients will be cold.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Place the olive oil and water in a large saucepan and add the Italian sausages and pancetta. Cook over medium-to-high heat for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so the sausages roll over and cook on all sides.

Step 2

When most of the moisture has evaporated and the sausages are browning, add the onion, scallions, and garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.

Step 3

Add the beans, with their liquid, and the kielbasa, Tabasco, and herbes de Provence.

Step 4

Cover, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes.

Step 5

Set aside.

Step 6

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 7

Place the bread in a food processor and process to crumbs.

Step 8

Lightly toss the bread crumbs with the peanut oil.

Step 9

Spoon the sausage mixture into four 2½-cup ovenproof soup bowls, filling the bowls to within ¾ inch of the top.

Step 10

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and arrange the bowls on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Step 11

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and very hot and brown.

Step 12

Serve hot.

Step 13

If you want the crumbs a little browner, turn on the broiler and place the bowls under the broiler for a few minutes.

Step 14

The cassoulet can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bake it for approximately 40 minutes and then finish under the broiler, if desired.

Step 15

Leftover roast pork, veal, or lamb can be used in place of the sausages.

Step 16

To avoid last-minute work, place the ingredients in the bowls the night before and refrigerate, then finish in the oven the next day.