Crock Pot Cassoulet

Here is a pared down version of this comfort food classic. It’s still delicious and ideal for serving a crowd or as the centerpiece of a buffet party. Use a large minimum 6 quart slow cooker.

• Ready In: 15 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1  smoked ham hock
• 2  cups  white dried navy beans, soaked, drained and rinsed
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 2  onions, finely chopped
• 2  carrots, peeled and diced
• 2  stalks celery, peeled and diced
• 1  sprig fresh rosemary or 2  teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
• 4  cups  chicken stock (approx.) or 4  cups water (approx.)
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 4  garlic cloves, put through a press or 4  mashed garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  cracked black peppercorns
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2  lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 4 pieces
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄8 teaspoon clove
• 1 (1 lb)  lamb shank, cut into 4 pieces
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  lb kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch slices

• BREAD CRUMB TOPPING

• 2  cups  fresh breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1⁄4 cup  melted butter

Directions

1. FOR THE CASSOULET: In slow cooker stoneware, combine ham hock and beans.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until softened. Add rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to slow cooker stoneware. Add chicken stock to cover beans. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours, until beans are tender. It would be better to do this the night before.
3. In a bowl, combine salt, garlic, peppercorns and thyme. Rub mixture into pork. Place pork in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F On a plate, combine cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Roll lamb shanks in mixture and place, narrow end up, on a broiling pan. Scrape excess salt from the marinated pork shoulder and place on same broiling pan. Roast in preheated oven for 1 hour.
5. Remove Ham hock from beans. Remove tough skin and shred meat. Discard skin and bone. Cover and refrigerate meat. Stir tomato paste and bay leaves into bean mixture.
6. Cut roasted pork into 1 inch squares and add along with lamb shanks to bean mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Remove lamb shanks from mixture and scrape meat from bones. Discard bones and return meat to beans. Stir in kielbasa and reserved meat from ham hock. (See Tips) Transfer mixture to baking dishes, if necessary.
7. BREAD CRUMB TOPPING: Preheat oven to 350°F In a bowl, combine ingredients. Sprinkle over cassoulet and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.
8. TIPS: Using the slow cooker to make cassoulet makes it a manageable project. Cook the beans and marinate the pork overnight. The next morning, continue cooking as directed.
9. This is a large quantity of cassoulet, and when the sausage and ham meat is added, it may not fit comfortably in the slow cooker stoneware. I have a gargantuan baking dish, Mexican in origin, that I use for the final assembly You may need to transfer the bean mixture to two large baking dishes before adding the bread crumb topping. If you are serving this as a dinner dish and have enough pottery, consider spooning the cassoulet into individual serving size ovenproof tureens. Add the topping and bake as directed.
10. MAKE AHEAD: This dish can be partially prepared the night before it is cooked. Complete Steps 1 and 3, cooking beans overnight. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, continue cooking as directed. Serves 12.
11. Delicious & Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes.