Canned Cassoulet: How to Choose a Good One

Cassoulet is one of the few great French dishes that keeps perfectly in a can. Well made, it even gains flavour over time, as the beans slowly absorb the juices of the confit and sausage. But you still need to know how to choose it: not all ready-made cassoulets are equal. Here are the criteria that make the difference, so you can buy canned or jarred cassoulet with confidence.

Why cassoulet is so well suited to canning

Cassoulet is a slow-cooked dish, designed from the start to be made ahead and reheated. In the Lauragais, people say a good cassoulet is cooked in several stages. Canning extends that logic: sterilization gently completes the cooking, and resting in the container lets the flavours meld.

That is also why duck confit, itself a traditional South-West preserving method, fits so naturally into a canned cassoulet.

How to choose a good canned cassoulet

The recipe and its origin

Look for the name of the recipe: Castelnaudary, Toulouse or Carcassonne. It tells you the style of the dish. Castelnaudary cassoulet focuses on confit and pork, Toulouse cassoulet on Toulouse sausage. A label that simply mentions beans with sausage does not describe a true cassoulet.

The beans

The beans are half the dish. The lingot bean is the benchmark: it stays whole and becomes creamy. A cassoulet that states the origin and variety of its beans is usually a carefully made one.

The meat, especially the confit

Check which meats are included and in what form. Duck confit is the hallmark of a quality cassoulet. It comes as wing drumsticks (manchons) or whole legs, which are more generous and tender. Toulouse sausage and pork complete the dish.

The ingredient list

A short, readable list is always a good sign: beans, meats, broth, vegetables, aromatics, duck fat. Duck fat in particular is the traditional fat of cassoulet and gives it its signature taste.

Can or glass jar?

A metal can is sturdy, light, easy to store and to carry. It keeps for a long time at room temperature and is the ideal format for always having a good meal on hand.

A glass jar lets you see the product before opening it and makes a beautiful presentation, to put on the table or to give as a gift. It is, however, more fragile and heavier. Either way, the cassoulet is transferred to a dish to be heated.

Which size to choose?

As a main course, allow 400 to 500 g of cassoulet per person. A format of around 400 g serves one person, around 800 g serves two, and 1.4 kg or more serves a table of four. For special occasions, family formats save you from opening several containers.

Storing and serving ready-made cassoulet

Before opening, store cassoulet in a cool, dry place away from light and respect the date on the packaging. Once opened, transfer leftovers to an airtight container, keep them in the refrigerator and eat them quickly.

To serve it, the oven is the best method: it recreates the golden crust of homemade cassoulet. Follow our baked canned cassoulet recipe, ready in 30 minutes.

Maison Fayard cassoulets

Our cassoulets are made following the Castelnaudary recipe, with French lingot beans, grilled Toulouse sausages and a rich broth with vegetables, spices and duck fat.

Our canned duck confit cassoulet is the house classic, in 420 g for one person and 840 g for two. The same duck confit recipe comes in a glass jar, in 380 g, 780 g and 1.4 kg. The pork hock cassoulet will delight lovers of tender pork. And for special occasions, our premium duck leg confit cassoulet comes in a 590 g or 1.5 kg Le Parfait jar.

The whole range is available in our cassoulet and French prepared meals collection, shipped across Canada.