Dish guides
What is cassoulet?
Cassoulet is a rich, slow-baked stew from south-west France of white haricot beans cooked with pork, pork rind, Toulouse sausage and often confit duck or goose, finished in the oven until a golden crust forms. It comes from the Languedoc, around Castelnaudary, Carcassonne and Toulouse, and is named after the earthenware dish it's baked in, the cassole.
- At a glance
- Cassoulet
- White beans slow-baked with pork, Toulouse sausage and duck or goose confit.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like kah-soo-LAY · IPA /kasulɛ/
- Also written as
- cassoulet de Castelnaudary, cassoulet toulousain, cassoulet de Carcassonne, cassoulet maison, cassoulet au confit de canard, caçolet
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- white haricot beans (lingots or Tarbais)
- pork (shoulder, belly or knuckle) and pork rind
- Toulouse sausage
- confit duck or goose
- garlic, onion and herbs
- duck or goose fat
Often added
- breadcrumbs on top
- mutton or lamb (Toulouse and Carcassonne)
- partridge in season (Carcassonne)
- carrot, celery or tomato
- garlic sausage or ham
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Gluten | Often contains |
| Celery | Sometimes contains |
| Sulphites | Sometimes contains |
| Mustard | Rarely contains |
| Dairy | Rarely contains |
| Eggs | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Tree nuts | Rarely contains |
| Shellfish | Rarely contains |
| Fish | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Pescatarian | No |
| Halal | No |
| Kosher | No |
| Gluten-free | Depends — Beans, meat and fat don't contain gluten, but many cooks sprinkle breadcrumbs on top to help the crust form, and some sausages contain fillers; ask "Il y a de la chapelure ?" |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
What goes into a cassoulet
Dried white beans are soaked and simmered with pork rind, garlic, onion and herbs until creamy. Meanwhile pork, Toulouse sausage and usually confit duck or goose are browned in their own fat. Everything is layered in the cassole, a wide, glazed earthenware dish, and baked slowly for hours. A crust forms on top; cooks traditionally break it and push it back into the beans several times (how many is a matter of local pride), and many cooks sprinkle breadcrumbs to help it along, although the Castelnaudary recipe relies on the crust the dish forms by itself.
Each town claims the true recipe. Castelnaudary, which calls itself the cassoulet's capital, focuses on pork and often confit. Carcassonne adds mutton and, in season, partridge. Toulouse adds its own sausage and more mutton or duck.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Un cassoulet, s'il vous plaît. | A cassoulet, please. |
| Il est fait maison ? | Is it made in house? |
| Il y a de la chapelure dessus ? | Are there breadcrumbs on top? |
Not to be confused with
- Fabada asturiana — Spain's Asturian bean stew with large white beans, chorizo, morcilla and pork, simmered rather than baked.
- Garbure — A thick cabbage, vegetable and bean soup from Gascony and Béarn, often with confit; more soup than bake.
- Confit de canard — The duck leg preserved in its fat that often goes into cassoulet, served on its own with potatoes.
Frequently asked questions
What meat is in cassoulet?
Mainly pork: pork shoulder or belly, pork rind and Toulouse sausage, plus confit duck or goose in most restaurant versions. Some recipes, especially in Toulouse and Carcassonne, add mutton or lamb, and partridge appears in season. It's never vegetarian in a traditional kitchen, and the beans are cooked with the pork.
Is cassoulet gluten free?
Not reliably. Beans, pork, sausage and confit don't contain gluten in themselves, but many cooks sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top to build the crust, and some sausages contain fillers. Ask "Il y a de la chapelure ?" (Are there breadcrumbs?) and whether the sausage contains gluten if you're coeliac.
Is cassoulet the same as baked beans?
No. Cassoulet uses white haricot beans like baked beans, but they're cooked slowly with pork rind, garlic and herbs and baked with sausage, pork and duck or goose confit, so the result is savoury, rich and meaty. There's no sweet tomato sauce; some versions add only a little tomato.
How do you pronounce cassoulet?
Say kah-soo-LAY, with the stress at the end: in IPA, [kasulɛ]. The final t is silent, as in most French words. The name comes from the cassole, the earthenware dish it's baked in, and the Occitan name is caçolet.
