History

The cassoulet's origin legend places it around 1355 during the Hundred Years' War, when Castelnaudary peasants under English siege threw beans, sausage and confit duck into a clay cassole. The Toulouse version, distinct from Castelnaudary and Carcassonne, uses confit duck plus the city's coiled saucisse de Toulouse. The Confrerie du Cassoulet de Toulouse was founded in April 2022 to defend the recipe.

Common allergens: Pork, Duck

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 1 hrTotal 24 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500g dried haricots tarbais beans, soaked overnight
  • 4 confit duck legs
  • 300g Toulouse sausage, coiled
  • 200g pork shoulder, cubed
  • 150g pork belly, cubed
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley)
  • Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
  • 100g pork rind
  • 1 litre chicken stock

Method

  1. Drain the soaked beans. Place in a large pot with cold water, bring to boil, then simmer 15 minutes. Drain.
  2. Confit duck legs at 150C in their fat until tender, about 90 minutes (or buy ready-made).
  3. Brown the pork shoulder and pork belly in confit fat in a heavy pan, set aside.
  4. Soften onion in the same pan, add garlic and tomato, cook 5 minutes.
  5. Add the beans, pork meats, pork rind, bouquet garni and chicken stock. Simmer 1 hour 30 minutes.
  6. Transfer half the bean mixture to a glazed clay cassole. Top with the confit duck legs and the Toulouse sausage in a coil.
  7. Cover with the remaining beans and stock. Bake at 160C for 2 hours, breaking the crust three times to mix it back in.
  8. Serve straight from the cassole with crusty bread and a glass of Madiran.

Tip from the editors. Haricots tarbais are the canonical bean; if unavailable, use cannellini. The crust-breaking step is what makes the cassoulet, do not skip it.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat cassoulet de toulouse

Cassoulet de Toulouse in Toulouse

Restaurant Emile ★ 4.6

gascon€€€saint-georges

Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.

Signature: Cassoulet de Toulouse with confit duck, Magret de canard, Foie gras maison

Tip: Order the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.

13 Place Saint-Georges, 31000 Toulouse Book →

Le Genty Magre ★ 4.5

gascon€€€carmes

Le Genty Magre between Esquirol and Capitole is chef Romain Brard's southwestern dining room, winner of the 2023 Toulouse Cassoulet Championship.

Signature: Cassoulet de Toulouse, Bourgeois southwestern menu, Foie gras

Tip: The cassoulet sells in glass jars to take home; book the small inner room for the calmer service.

3 Rue Genty Magre, 31000 Toulouse

Le Colombier ★ 4.4

gascon€€€capitole

Le Colombier on Rue de Bayard near Capitole is the cassoulet institution opened in 1874 as a bourgeois boarding house, recipe unchanged for a century.

Signature: Cassoulet de Castelnaudary, Confit de canard, Pieces of beef

Tip: Reserve at least two days ahead in winter cassoulet season. The dining room is half-locals.

14 Rue de Bayard, 31000 Toulouse Book →

Le Bibent ★ 4.4

french brasserie€€€capitole

Le Bibent on Toulouse's Place du Capitole is the 1861 Napoleon III brasserie revived in 2009 with chef Christian Constant, a national monument.

Signature: Cassoulet de Toulouse, Plateau de fruits de mer, Souffle au Grand Marnier

Tip: Book a window table to see the square; the lunch menu is the value play. Belle Epoque interior worth the price tag on its own.

5 Place du Capitole, 31000 Toulouse Book →

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