Traditional French Butternut Squash Cassoulet Recipe

Butternut Cassoulet

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Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 servings

This butternut squash cassoulet recipe is based on a classic Cassoulet dish but filled with smoky bacon, chicken, and caramelized vegetables and reminiscent of autumn and good in winter too.

A great recipe for entertaining as it is a simple dish to prepare in advance, and gives the house a tantalizing aroma as it bakes. 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried white beans, soaked, sorted, and rinsed

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1 pound bacon lardons (bacon cut into strips)

  • 2 large white onions, halved and sliced

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 4 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled and cubed

  • 1 1/4 cups chicken stock

  • 1 bouquet garni

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 carrot, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

  • 4 teaspoons butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the beans to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook them until they begin to turn tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add one teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to the beans and cook until the liquid has absorbed about 25 additional minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, drain and set the beans aside.

  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the lardons for 5 minutes, until they brown. Crumble them coarsely and transfer to a plate. Add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes, until they turn tender. Lower the heat, and cook the onions on low, occasionally stirring, for 20 to 30 minutes until caramelized and golden brown. Transfer to the plate with the lardons.

  3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Drain all but four tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the chicken breast pieces to the fat and brown over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl. Lower the heat to medium-low, melt one tablespoon butter and sauté the chopped garlic for 90 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the cubed squash, increase the heat to medium-high, and sauté until lightly caramelized. Take care to not burn the garlic.

  4. Combine the lardons, onions, chicken pieces and stock, bouquet garni, thyme, squash, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a large casserole dish. Cover with a lid and bake for 25 minutes. Add the carrots to the casserole, cover, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

  5. Add the white beans to the casserole and gently stir. In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs, parsley, and thyme with the melted butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the casserole and bake uncovered for 1 hour. Discard the bouquet garni and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
413 Calories
18g Fat
25g Carbs
36g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 413
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 24%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 92mg 31%
Sodium 1087mg 47%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 13mg 64%
Calcium 98mg 8%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 852mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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