Slow Cooker Pork Cassoulet is a pork and bean dinner with unbelievable flavor!
It’s been a few months since I’ve done a vintage slow cooker recipe of the month. The vintage recipes are my favorite to make, and I’m glad I’m back at making them again.
A few people have emailed and asked me if I had a recipe for cassoulet. Until I started to get those emails I had never heard of the dish. Then I stumbled upon cassoulet beans this winter when I was shopping at Rancho Gordo and knew this recipe had to be made.
This recipe takes a bit of prep but is well worth it. The beans need to be soaked overnight or they need the quick soak method applied to them.
I was very happy with the end results of this meal. To describe what this meal tastes like, I think it tastes like a thick ham and bean soup but with 10 times more flavor. The extra flavor comes from the wine, bacon and the pork ribs. I think that the larger cassoulet bean did add a different taste to this meal too, the beans are very creamy.
Another thing that makes cassoulet delicious is the toasty bread crumb topping. This step can be skipped but I think it adds a great texture to the dish.
Enjoy this recipe I will be back at the end of the week with another recipe! Have a great week.
- 1 pound cassoulet beans or great northern beans (note these need to be soaked overnight or use the quick soak method)
- 8 slices bacon, sliced and cooked (you can use a touch of the grease from the bacon to brown the pork ribs)
- 2 lbs. country pork ribs
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15-oz.) can Italian diced tomatoes
- 1 cup white wine (I used Duck Pond Pinot Gris)
- 1.5 cups diced carrots
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1½ tsp. dried leaf thyme (not ground thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- 6-quart or larger
- Note before starting, that the beans need to be soaked overnight by covering with water, then draining off that water before starting the recipe. Or if you are short on time you can you use the quick soak method.
- After cooking the bacon, brown the pork ribs in the same pan using some of the bacon grease, no need to cook the pork ribs through, just brown them.
- Add beans, cooked bacon, country ribs, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, wine, carrots, onion, garlic, pepper, thyme and bay leaves to the slow cooker, stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
- When the cooking time is done remove the ribs from the slow cooker, shred and add the meat back to the slow cooker and stir. Remove and discard bay leaves.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- In a small bowl mix together the breadcrumbs and butter. Crumble this mixture over the beans and pork in the slow cooker.
- Add the slow cooker insert without the lid into the 400° oven for about 10 minutes or until the topping is browned. (be sure your slow cooker is rated for use in the oven, most of the newer Crock-Pot® brand slow cookers are, up to 400°.)
- Serve and enjoy!
I used my 6-quart Crock-Pot® for this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend using anything smaller than a 6-quart.
You May also like: Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Gratin
Your recipe for the cassoulet sounds marvelous. I’ve pinned it and will make it later this week. Rancho Gordo beans are the very best!
Would other kind of pork meat work as well? without bone I mean?
I think a pork butt would work good, but I would cut it up into pieces and trim the large amounts of fat off. Or pieces of ham would be good too.
Great, I’ll try it out! Thanks!
I made this a few nights ago and it made my entire house smell delicious! The bread crumbs made the dish a little thick (for me), so when I make it again I will most likely have them available to top individual servings. It was more brothy before i added them– it became very thick afterwards. But the recipe was great and really flavorful!
Awesome! Yep it could even go without the topping.