How to make simple cassoulet in Dutch Oven or Instant Pot ( Pressure Cooker ). Which cooking option is better?
Hi Everyone,
So, today I will share with you a more simplified recipe of cassoulet, which you can make in about 40-50 minutes and make it out of widely available ingredients. It is a very easy recipe which I will make in Instant Pot and Dutch oven side by side to compare simplicity of cooking, taste and preparation time.
Ingredients: ( 6-7 servings )
White beans - 2 cans ( 15.5oz each ). I am using Great Northern beans from Trader Joe’s. Drained and rinsed.
Chicken thighs ( bone-in & skin-on ) - 6pcs
Yellow onion ( medium ) - 2pcs ( finely chopped )
Italian Sausage ( uncooked ) - 5pcs
Bacon - 8oz (225g) cut into 1 inch pieces.
Tomato paste - 3 tablespoons
Garlic - 8-9 cloves ( minced )
Carrots ( medium size ) - 3pcs ( chopped 1 inch pieces )
Fresh thyme - 2 sprigs
Bay leaves - 3pcs
Salt & Pepper - to taste and seasoning chicken
Avocado or Olive oil - 2 tablespoons ( for frying )
Chicken broth - 3 ½ cups
Breadcrumbs - 1 ½ cup
White wine - ¼ cup ( or red wine )
For decoration: parsley
You can serve it with french baguette and green salad
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Step #1
Let’s start by cutting carrots, chopping onions and mincing garlic. Now, cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.
Instant Pot:
Turn on Saute mode, and fry bacon for 5-6 minutes, remember to stir in the process. Cook until crispy.
Pro Tip: alway put bacon on the cold pan and cook on medium low, this way bacon will crisp evenly and not burn.
When bacon is ready, take it out with a slotted spoon. Leave all the bacon grease inside the pan, we will use it to cook other ingredients.
Now, season chicken with salt and pepper and fry starting with skin side down on Saute mode until golden brown on both sides….you don’t need to cook chicken through. Don't overcrowd and cook it in several batches. Then take out the chicken and sear italian sausage until golden brown on all sides. Before cooking sausage, make a few cuts with a knife to prevent it from bursting when frying. When seared on all sides, take it out from the pan.
Deglaze instant Pod pan with some beef broth or wine using wooden spatula to remove the caramelized and brown bits that are stuck.
Keep Saute mode on, add some oil and cook onions and carrots. After the onions are translucent, add garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add tomato paste and cook for another minute. Turn off Saute mode.
Dutch Oven:
With dutch oven the process is identical.
Overall for the frying, my preference goes to dutch oven. Instant Pot does the job, but Dutch Oven makes skin crispier and nothing sticks in the process.
Step #2
Instant Pot:
Now, put all the ingredients in the instant pot except breadcrumbs. Pro Tip: I recommend draining and rinsing canned beans to reduce the amount of sodium and starch. Close the lid and set the pressure cooker for 20 minutes on manual high pressure and wait for natural pressure release.
I added sauvignon blanc but you can also substitute it with white or red wine of your choice. As Julia sad:
“I enjoy cooking with wine. Sometimes, I even put it in the food.” Julia Child
Dutch Oven:
Process is the same. Add all ingredients in the dutch oven except bread crumbs and bring it to a simmer. Now, lower the temperature, cover with the lid and simmer for another 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through to 165° Fahrenheit.
So overall cooking this dish in Instant Pot and Dutch Oven takes about the same amount of time. Advantage of Instant Pot is that you can turn it on and leave the house. Please, never do it with the oven.
Step#3
Now the final step.
Instant Pot:
Remove thyme sprigs. Move the Cassoulet to the casserole dish. Mix store bought breadcrumbs with some parsley and a little bit of oil and sprinkle evenly on top of the casserole. Turn on the oven to broiler setting ( 450°F) and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the top browns and looks crispy. Be careful not to overdo it.
Dutch Oven:
With dutch oven the process is identical, except you don’t need to move the dish to another vessel, broil directly in the dutch oven. So with Dutch Oven one less dish to clean!
Tasing:
During blind testing process I had multiple family members to taste both options. Everyone was impressed with the art of french cooking, the amazing flavor and taste of this dish. However both Instant Pot and Dutch oven versions of this dish were equally good.
Conclusion: for this particular recipe both cooking methods are great, and take the same amount of time. Use the one you personally prefer.