It’s no secret that I love comfort food. A few weeks ago I made another batch of cassoulet. Even though I make a “quick” version of cassoulet, I was feeling extra lazy the last time I made it. I skipped starting with bacon lardons and just used some duck fat I had in my fridge. I also skipped the breadcrumbs. I had bone-in chicken thighs so I just worked a little harder when the meal was complete instead of deboning the chicken before I cooked the cassoulet. Guess what, it was still delish. It wasn’t as good as the original but it fit the bill just fine.
My quicker version of cassoulet was a little brothier than the original version. When I reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day it got me thinking… this would make a fabulous soup. And that is how Cassoulet Soup was born. Relatively quick, definitely easy if you don’t mind some chopping, room for your own tweaks and 100% winter comfort! Let’s get right to it!
First you add fat to the pot. Here is your first chance to customize this soup to your tastes. You need 2 tablespoons of fat. Ideally, you would fry up a couple of pieces of bacon in the pot, reserve the bacon for later (to garnish the soup) and use the bacon fat left in the pan for browning the sausage and sautéing the veggies. I didn’t feel like it on this day so I used reserved bacon fat I have on hand. Duck fat would have been a brilliant choice too or you could just as easily use olive oil or butter. Up to you.
Next, add the smoke sausage to the pot and brown. Remove the sausage, set aside and add the veggies. Let them sauté until the onions and celery soften.
While your helper is sautéing veggies, chop up your meat. I diced up two boneless, skinless chicken thighs and the smoked sausage.
When the veggies were ready, I added all the remaining ingredients to the pot and let it simmer away. Now, if you want a thicker soup, simmer with the lid off (or use less broth). If you want a thinner soup, use the amount I have listed below and simmer with the lid on a tilt. Let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes and you are good to go! This protein packed soup is satisfying, delicious and really quite good for you. I can’t wait for you to try it!
When serving up this soup I highly recommend you garnish with some crispy bacon! I had some left over from breakfast that day which is why I didn’t need to start the soup by cooking more bacon. But it really adds to the final version. I also added some fresh parsley to my bowl. I would skip that next time. I like to garnish any simmered food with something fresh but parsley wasn’t the right choice in my opinion. I should have garnished with a little bit of fresh thyme. I’m so glad you get to reap the benefits of my mistakes. Happy Comfort Fooding everyone!
Cassoulet Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 T Fat* (bacon, duck, butter or olive oil)
3-4 oz Smoked Sausage
½ Onion, diced
1 stalk Celery, diced
2 Carrots, diced
Salt & Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, minced
½ c White Wine
4 c low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs, diced (about ½ lb)
15 oz can Great Northern Beans, drained but not rinsed
2 Thyme stems (plus more for garnish if desired)
1 Bay Leaf
Crumbled Bacon*, for garnish (optional)
Add 2 tablespoons of fat to the pot and heat over medium-high heat.
When the fat is hot, brown the sausage on all sides (about a minute per side) and remove from pot.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery and carrots to the pot.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the onions and celery are soft, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, when the sausage is cool enough to handle dice into small pieces.
After the veggies have softened, add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
Add the wine and stir; let the wine simmer for 2 minutes.
Add all the remaining ingredients: broth, sausage, chicken, beans, thyme and bay leaf; stir to combine.
Add a little more salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer with the lid on a tilt for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf.
Ladle into bowls and garish each bowl with crumbled bacon and/or some fresh thyme leaves.
*You can start the soup by adding 3 pieces of uncooked bacon to the pot. Cook the bacon while rendering the fat. Remove the bacon and reserve for garnish; use the bacon fat to brown the sausage and sauté the vegetables.
Cassoulet Soup
Ingredients
- 2 T Fat* bacon, duck, butter or olive oil
- 3-4 oz Smoked Sausage
- ½ Onion diced
- 1 stalk Celery diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ c White Wine
- 4 c low-sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs diced (about ½ lb)
- 15 oz can Great Northern Beans drained but not rinsed
- 2 stems Thyme plus more for garnish if desired
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Crumbled Bacon* for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of fat to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot, brown the sausage on all sides (about a minute per side) and remove from pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery and carrots to the pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the onions and celery are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, when the sausage is cool enough to handle dice into small pieces.
- After the veggies have softened, add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the wine and stir; let the wine simmer for 2 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients: broth, sausage, chicken, beans, thyme and bay leaf; stir to combine. Season with a little more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on a tilt for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and garish each bowl with crumbled bacon and/or some fresh thyme leaves.