Slow, Comfortable Piquant Pork and Bacon Cassoulet (Crock Pot)

French Tart's Note:

A delicious and comforting combination of beans, bacon, pork, chopped chili tomatoes and herbs. This hearty cassoulet type casserole bubbles away in the crock pot/slow cooker whilst you are busy or at work. Serve this with a tossed green salad and cornbread for a complete meal; alternatively, this is wonderful during the winter months served with steamed greens and piles of mashed potatoes.

• Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 10 ounces pork loin , cut into 1 cubes
• 8 thick pork sausages , cut into large chunks
• 6 slices streak bacon , chopped
• 1 medium onion , peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves , peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon herbes de provence
• salt & freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• 10 ounces canned great white navy beans , drained and rinsed
• 10 ounces canned black beans , drained and rinsed
• 2 (10 ounce) Rotel tomatoes & chilies
• 2 ounces soft breadcrumbs
• chopped fresh herb , such as parsley and thyme (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat the slow cooker on high. Place the pork in a frying pan and heat gently until the fat begins to run out. Add the chopped bacon and sausages then brown all over for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove all the meat from the pan.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the seasonings and the herbes de Provence , and then add the onion mixture to the pork, bacon and sausages. Mix the two types of beans together.
3. Layer the pork and onion mixture with the mixed beans, then pour over the tomatoes with their juices. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and cover with the lid. Reduce the temperature to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Served garnished with fresh herbs.

Reviews

[Chris Reynolds]

My DH and I didn't really cotton to this dish. Just personal preference, I guess. Thanks for sharing, though.

[tara portee]

We enjoyed this very much. I needed to make a few changes. I didn't have 10 oz cans of beans or tomatoes, so I used 15 oz cans. I added only one can of beans, because I didn't want to use two entire cans and I didn't feel like having a left over 1/2 can. I am also a heat whimp, so I only used 1/2 of one can of 15 once rotel and 1 whole can of regular diced tomatoes. I used two turkey sausages (each 4 ozs). For calories sake I skipped the bacon. This really quite good and about 10x easier than a traditional cassoulet. I think it makes a little more than 4 servings. I served with creamed spinach.

[Clean Plate Club]

This is exactly what I was looking for... lazy girl cassoulet. Very easy and hearty. I made the mistake of using the only bacon I had on hand which was maple flavored. That was pretty dumb because it gave the dish a slightly odd flavor. Next time I will use pancetta or regular bacon. I spluged on 4 different kinds of good quality fresh sausage from Whole Foods, including andouille, chorizo and hot Italian.