Cassoulexpress
A 35-minute camping cassoulet with Toulouse sausage, confit duck, and cannellini beans, finished with garlic-toasted breadcrumbs.
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For the stew
- 2 Toulouse sausages raw, uncooked
- 2 confit duck legs pre-cooked, vacuum-packed or canned
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 cans (14 oz / 398 ml) cannellini beans drained, but keep the liquid aside — you might need it
- 2 cloves garlic
- thyme a few sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs plain, for thickening if needed
For the garlic-toasted breadcrumbs
- 4-6 slices day-old bread
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt a good pinch
To serve
- garlic-toasted breadcrumbs see the make-ahead steps
- country bread for serving
- red wine optional, for serving
Instructions
Make it ahead
- Make the garlic-toasted breadcrumbs at home, before you leave.
- In a food processor, coarsely chop the bread with the garlic cloves.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the bread and garlic and stir so the oil coats everything evenly.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the crumbs are well toasted, about 15 minutes. Salt to taste.
- Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool. If the crumbs still feel damp, let them dry on the counter before storing them in an airtight container.
Over the fire
- In a cast iron skillet over medium coals, sear the sausages and duck legs for a few minutes, until lightly browned on the outside. The sausages don't need to cook through yet — they'll finish in the simmer.
- Deglaze the pot with the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
- Add the cannellini beans, garlic cloves, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring delicately from time to time.
- If the broth is still too thin, stir in some of the breadcrumbs partway through cooking to thicken it.
- Garnish with the garlic-toasted breadcrumbs and serve with country bread and a good glass of wine.
Notes
Buying duck confit. If you're using store-bought duck confit legs, save the fat and any jellied broth from the packaging — use the fat to sear the sausages and duck, and stir in the jellied broth while cutting back the chicken broth by the same amount.
Bean liquid matters. Reserve some of the liquid from the canned cannellini beans before draining — it carries starch and salt that helps the stew thicken as it simmers.
Watch your heat. This isn't a high-flame dish. Cook over medium coals or a low flame; too hot and the pot scorches on the bottom before the sausage finishes cooking.
No oven, no problem. Classic cassoulet builds a baked crust; without an oven, a generous scatter of garlic-toasted breadcrumbs right before serving gives the same crunchy contrast.
Leftovers improve overnight. Pack extras in a lidded container and keep them cold — the flavors settle and it tastes even better the next day.
See the frequently asked questions
- Prepping at home first
- Substituting for duck confit
- Soaking the beans first
- Using a camp stove instead
- Fixing a thin broth
- A lighter version without meat
- How many it feeds