Bastille Day - French Cuisine Recipes

I'm a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, and pommes frites, or French Fries. So man the barricades and check out my cheapSkate revolutionary recipes on Bastille Day.

There is more to French cuisine than French Fries, of course, and this Chef de Cuisine d'Internet has tossed Molotov cocktail recipes on Bastille Day. So keep scrolling for scrumptious videos and food photography, which I hope inspires you to try a recipe or two. Follow this rebel rousing cheap$kate as I storm the Ivory Tower of haute cuisine!  And click on any recipe name to go to my blog post for all the riotous recipe instructions.

This French holiday is celebrated as the turning point of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Hey, this sounds like a fine excuse to celebrate French cuisine to me! So I'll start with one of my favorite ones, a hearty Cassoulet casserole.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home-cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya.

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage, and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound, but cheap chicken leg quarters from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, any local favorite you find on sale is fine.

A French mirepoix of guillotined veggies includes onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow-cooking on the stovetop and finish with baking in the oven to crisp poultry skin while thickening the rich sauce.

In the fall and winter months, I make a Cassoulet every few weeks, and there are always leftovers to enjoy and share.

My next Francophile recipe really does use the cheapest veggie, onions. French Onion Soup uses half a dozen roughly sliced onions that are cooked down until caramelized to a sweet brown hue.

 I get them from my local Latin market, often 2 pounds for a dollar. Go ahead and use the least expensive white or yellow onions.

French Onion Soup comes together with red wine (cheap is okay,) a fave broth, butter, and a little flour to thicken it. A pretty simple recipe, but oh so delish, especially when it's finished off and topped with cheese and a slice of crusty bread.

My favorite fries are double-fried French Fries, and that's a tasty mouthful. French Fries were named by American soldiers in WWI, but are believed to have originated in Belgium. However, I take most food origins with a grain of salt.

Soggy fries were the norm until McDonald's came on the scene and changed forever the way Americans look at French Fries.

It's all about the crunchy outside and fluffy inside. And anyone can do it if you follow my method in the video below. But you have to go to the end of the video for my French Fry tutorial, as the first part is a British-style Fish & Chips recipe.



You would think a world-famous French chef would do French Fries right? Wrong -- I reviewed Chef Ludo Lefebvre's Fried Chicken Truck.

You can get French Fries with his fried chicken. Maybe it was an off day, but the fries were limp and soggy. I'm willing to try again when I run across the truck. Maybe they are great, just not when I was there. So check out my entertaining Cheap$kate Dining Review for French Chef Ludo's Fried Chicken and French Fries Truck to see for yourself.



But Chef Ludo  Lefebvre did turn my head around with his French Cheese Omelet. Man, is it tender and so gooood. The French method is to whip eggs first, then lightly and continuously scramble them with a little butter until almost done, with the eggs still slightly moist. You finish by adding cheese and gently folding the egg into an omelet shape.

My omelet experience is with middle-American diner-style, where the eggs are solid and a bit dry. Now I make my omelets the French way, and you can too if you follow my recipe video below.



I grew up watching Julia Child cooking French food on her PBS cooking show. And she literally wrote the book on French cooking called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Her personality was larger than life, and I had to do a video in her honor after she passed away. My recipe homage is a bit silly, but it is done with heart. Check out my version of Julia Child's Crepes Suzette -- done by her nephew, Julian Child!

Since finding half-priced Croissants on sale in the bargain bin at my local grocers, Ralphs, I've started many days with a French Croissant and coffee. It got me to thinking about all the breakfast Croissant combinations to make.

Their buttery flakiness set them apart from other pastries. They are best from a pastry shop, but I've found a quick toasting brings them back to an almost fresh state. With all the butter infused in the Croissant layers, watch them carefully or they may quickly burn. 

My simplest Scrambled Egg Croissant Sandwich is made with creamy Scramled Eggs. Click on any recipe name to see the original blogpost with all the yummy text and delicious photo illustrations, including, Scrambled Egg and Cheese Croissant Sandwich and a Scrambled Egg, Cheese, and Ham Croissant Sandwich.

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew, at least until the Cheap$kate Cuisinier gets hold of the recipe. Beef is too expensive, but pork is the right price, so I turned the recipe into a Pork Bourguignon.

All the other classic ingredients are included, like mushrooms, onions, tomato paste, and of course, cheap red wine. To get that rich beefy flavor, I include beef stock.

I didn't know there was a French-style Yogurt, so when I saw Oui by Yoplait, I had to try it. Boy, is it creamy and flavorful. Some buy this brand just for the cool jar.

I like to add fresh fruit to plain yogurt. I find that pre-mixed yogurt with fruit is loaded with sugar and way too sweet for me. Below is how I do it.

So, do click on any recipe name to see my original blog post recipe, and dig in!

Vive la France and Bon Appétit!

Bastille Day - French Cuisine Recipes

I'm a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, and pommes frites, or French Fries. So man the barricades and check out my cheapSkate revolutionary recipes on Bastille Day.

There is more to French cuisine than French Fries, of course, and this Chef de Cuisine d'Internet has tossed Molotov cocktail recipes on Bastille Day. So keep scrolling for scrumptious videos and food photography, which I hope inspires you to try a recipe or two. Follow this rebel rousing cheap$kate as I storm the Ivory Tower of haute cuisine!  And click on any recipe name to go to my blog post for all the riotous recipe instructions.

This French holiday is celebrated as the turning point of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Hey, this sounds like a fine excuse to celebrate French cuisine to me! So I'll start with one of my favorite ones, a hearty Cassoulet casserole.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home-cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya.

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage, and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound, but cheap chicken leg quarters from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, any local favorite you find on sale is fine.

A French mirepoix of guillotined veggies includes onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow-cooking on the stovetop and finish with baking in the oven to crisp poultry skin while thickening the rich sauce.

In the fall and winter months, I make a Cassoulet every few weeks, and there are always leftovers to enjoy and share.

My next Francophile recipe really does use the cheapest veggie, onions. French Onion Soup uses half a dozen roughly sliced onions that are cooked down until caramelized to a sweet brown hue.

 I get them from my local Latin market, often 2 pounds for a dollar. Go ahead and use the least expensive white or yellow onions.

French Onion Soup comes together with red wine (cheap is okay,) a fave broth, butter, and a little flour to thicken it. A pretty simple recipe, but oh so delish, especially when it's finished off and topped with cheese and a slice of crusty bread.

My favorite fries are double-fried French Fries, and that's a tasty mouthful. Soggy fries were the norm until McDonald's came on the scene and changed forever the way Americans look at French Fries.

It's all about the crunchy outside and fluffy inside. And anyone can do it if you follow my method in the video below. But you have to go to the end of the video for my French Fry tutorial, as the first part is a British-style Fish & Chips recipe.



You would think a world-famous French chef would do French Fries right? Wrong -- I reviewed Chef Ludo Lefebvre's Fried Chicken Truck.

You can get French Fries with his fried chicken. Maybe it was an off day, but the fries were limp and soggy. I'm willing to try again when I run across the truck. Maybe they are great, just not when I was there. So check out my entertaining Cheap$kate Dining Review for French Chef Ludo's Fried Chicken and French Fries Truck to see for yourself.



But Chef Ludo  Lefebvre did turn my head around with his French Cheese Omelet. Man, is it tender and so gooood. The French method is to whip eggs first, then lightly and continuously scramble them with a little butter until almost done, with the eggs still slightly moist. You finish by adding cheese and gently folding the egg into an omelet shape.

My omelet experience is with middle-American diner-style, where the eggs are solid and a bit dry. Now I make my omelets the French way, and you can too if you follow my recipe video below.



I grew up watching Julia Child cooking French food on her PBS cooking show. And she literally wrote the book on French cooking called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Her personality was larger than life, and I had to do a video in her honor after she passed away. My recipe homage is a bit silly, but it is done with heart. Check out my version of Julia Child's Crepes Suzette -- done by her nephew, Julian Child!

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew, at least until the Cheap$kate Cuisinier gets hold of the recipe. Beef is too expensive, but pork is the right price, so I turned the recipe into a Pork Bourguignon.

All the other classic ingredients are included, like mushrooms, onions, tomato paste, and of course, cheap red wine. To get that rich beefy flavor, I include beef stock.

I didn't know there was a French-style Yogurt, so when I saw Oui by Yoplait at my local 99c only Store (the photo below is from a few years ago), I had to try it. Boy, is it creamy and flavorful. Some buy this brand just for the cool jar.

I like to add fresh fruit to plain yogurt. I find that pre-mixed yogurt with fruit is loaded with sugar and way too sweet for me. Below is how I do it.

So, do click on any recipe name to see my original blog post recipe, and dig in!

Vive la France and Bon Appétit!

Bastille Day - French Cuisine Recipes

 I'm a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, and pommes frites, or French Fries. So man the barricades and check out my cheapSkate revolutionary recipes on Bastille Day.

There is more to French cuisine than French Fries, of course, and this Chef de Cuisine d'Internet has tossed Molotov cocktail recipes on Bastille Day. So keep scrolling for scrumptious videos and food photography, which I hope inspires you to try a recipe or two. Follow this rebel rousing cheap$kate as I storm the ivory tower of haute cuisine!  And click on any recipe name to go to my blog post for all the riotous recipe instructions.

This French holiday is celebrated as the turning point of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Hey, this sounds like a fine excuse to celebrate French cuisine to me! So I'll start with one of my favorite ones, a hearty Cassoulet casserole.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home-cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya.

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage, and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound but chicken quarters from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, any local favorite you find on sale is fine.

A French mirepoix of guillotined veggies includes onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow-cooking on the stovetop and finish with baking in the oven to crisp poultry skin while thickening the rich sauce.

In the fall and winter months, I make a Cassoulet every few weeks, and always have leftovers to enjoy and share.

My next Francophile recipe really does use the cheapest veggie, onions. French Onion Soup uses half a dozen roughly sliced onions that are cooked down until caramelized to a sweet brown hue.

 I get them from my local Latin market, anywhere from 4 pounds for a dollar. Go ahead and use the least expensive white or yellow onions.

French Onion Soup comes together with red wine (cheap is okay,) a fave broth, butter, and a little flour to thicken it. A pretty simple recipe, but oh so delish, especially when it's finished off and topped with cheese and a slice of crusty bread.

My favorite fries are double-fried French Fries, and that's a tasty mouthful. Soggy fries were the norm until McDonald's came on the scene and changed forever the way Americans look at French Fries.

It's all about the crunchy outside and fluffy inside. And anyone can do it if you follow my method in the video below. But you have to go to the end of the video for my French Fry tutorial, as the first part is a British-style beer-battered fried fish recipe.



You would think a world-famous French chef would do French Fries right? Wrong -- I reviewed Chef Ludo Lefebvre's Fried Chicken Truck.

You can get French Fries with his fried chicken. Maybe it was an off day, but the fries were limp and soggy. I'm willing to try again when I run across the truck. Maybe they are great, just not when I was there. So check out my Cheap$kate Dining Review for French Chef Ludo's Fried Chicken and French Fries Truck to see for yourself.



But Chef Ludo  Lefebvre did turn my head around with his French Cheese Omelet. Man, is it tender and so gooood. The French method is to whip eggs first, then lightly and continuously scramble them with a little butter until almost done, with the eggs still slightly moist. You finish by adding cheese and gently folding the egg into an omelet shape. 

My omelet experience is with middle-American diner-style, where the eggs are solid and a bit dry. Now I make my omelets the French way, and you can too if you follow my recipe video below.



I grew up watching Julia Child cooking French food on her PBS cooking show. And she literally wrote the book on French cooking called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Her personality was larger than life, and I had to do a video in her honor after she passed away. My recipe homage is a bit silly, but it is done with heart. Check out my version of Julia Child's Crepes Suzette -- done by her nephew, Julian Child!

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew, at least until the Cheap$kate Cuisinier gets hold of the recipe. Beef is too expensive, but pork is the right price, so I turned the recipe into a Pork Bourguignon.

All the other classic ingredients are included, like mushrooms, onions, tomato paste, and of course, cheap red wine. To get that rich beefy flavor, I include beef stock.

I didn't know there was a French-style Yogurt, so when I saw Oui by Yoplait at my local 99c only Store (the photo below is from a few years ago), I had to try it. Boy, is it creamy and flavorful. Some buy this brand just for the cool jar.

I like to add fresh fruit to plain yogurt. I find that pre-mixed yogurt with fruit is loaded with sugar and way too sweet for me. Below is how I do it.

So, do click on any recipe name to see my original blog post recipe, and dig in!

Vive la France and Bon Appétit!

Top 9 Recipes of 2023

As year-end recipe lists go, my Top 9 Recipes of 2022 is one you can really sink your incisors into. And all of my top picks are deliciously cheap to make. Just click on any recipe name to see the original 2022 blog post for tasty photos and my money-saving tips, and be sure to play any embedded videos below. The ranking order is random and not by delectability, so go ahead and dig in! 

1. Country Breakfast

Let's start with breakfast, a cheap$kate Country Breakfast with ingredients from the Dollar Tree. Click here to see bacon to biscuits that I scrounged up.

2. Quail Egg & Avocado Crostini

Ever had a quail egg? They are very small and speckled. A quail egg is harder to break as there is a thick membrane just underneath the shell. Use a knife to pierce it and the yolk comes right out. I didn't notice a real flavor difference from a chicken egg. They are just cool to cook with. Check out my Crostini with Quail Egg & Avocado.

3. Cauliflower Vegan Soup

I like a fresh vegan soup and mine can be served chilled or warm. I use a head of steamed cauliflower and almond milk as the main ingredients. My Cauliflower Vegan Soup is quick and easy to do.

4. Cassoulet - Beans, Sausage, and Chicken

I make this recipe the most during winter days. It's a one-pot dish loaded with white beans, veggies and meat. I boil the beans until tender then finish the dish topped with chicken and sausage roasted in the oven Make my version of the French dish Cassoulet, this recipe makes enough to last the next day.

5. Tuna Melt

A Tuna Melt is so satisfying. It may seem strange to grill a Tuna Salad Sandwich with Cheese, but it works deliciously. I use cheap canned tuna and American cheese of course. I make a simple Tuna Salad as the main ingredient. Try it out!

6. Mom's Sugar-Free Cupcakes

My Mom's brother has diabetes and every time she visits him she likes to bring a container of Sugar-Free Cupcakes. She uses a box mix and frosting that is labeled sugar-free, so anyone can make these, and they taste just like regular sugary Cupcakes. My Mom is 89 years old and does not cook anymore, so enjoy the last video I may make with her? 

7. Fried Baloney Sandwich

I never thought I would have a Fried Baloney Sandwich again. I guess you can call this a return to childhood recipes and how they hold up. And it was quite a tasty sandwich. Now you can get baloney with minimum preservatives and made with low-fat turkey. Check out my flashback recipe below, it ended up being my most popular YouTube video of the month.

8. Huevos Rancheros with Tortilla Chips

I make breakfast Huevos Rancheros the most. Beans, cheese, tortillas, salsa, and a fried egg, what's not to like? When I serve Salsa for a party I usually have tortilla chips left over. I usually make Huevos Rancheros with heated soft corn tortillas, but one time I ran out and had a partial bag of tortilla chips - Wow, what a great substitution tortilla chips make! The crunchy texture elevated the recipe. Anytime I have tortilla chips I make my Huevos Ranchos with them.

9. Shrimp, Jalapeño & Egg Tacos 

Tex-Mex cuisine is familiar to the 99 Cent Chef as I grew up with it in Texas. I lived in a seaside small fishing town called Port O'Connor where shrimp is king. Seafood and eggs go together, especially with a spicy jalapeño kick. Every time I return to Port O'Connor I get them from Josies Mexican Food and Cantina. Lucky you, just click on my recipe link for Shrimp, Jalapeño & Egg Tacos to make them right in your own kitchen.

Here are some Honorable Mention Recipes of 2023, just click on the recipe name to check it out: Bagel with Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread, Easy Coleslaw with Pineapple, Egg Salad, Kiwi Salsa, Persimmon Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Caramelized Onions, Easy Pineapple Cobbler, Pretzel Egg Sandwich, Blueberries and Yogurt, Shepherd's Pie, Cottage Pie, and Dirty Rice with Chicken Liver, 

It has been a fruitfully abundant year of recipes here at the Cheap$kate Chateau. I did the heavy lifting for you, so now all you have to do is pick a recipe link and save yourself some hard-earned cash by trying out any of the above. And if you have a favorite recipe of mine, then leave a comment to share.

And make sure to keep checking in here from time to time. I create yummy-looking blog posts with a dollop of humor, and while my tastes are cheap, my recipe flavors are top-shelf !!

Bastille Day - French Cuisine Recipes

I'm a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, and pommes frites, or French Fries. So man the barricades and check out my cheapSkate revolutionary recipes on Bastille Day.

There is more to French cuisine than French Fries, of course, and this Chef de Cuisine d'Internet has tossed Molotov cocktail recipes on Bastille Day. So keep scrolling for scrumptious videos and food photography, which I hope inspires you to try a recipe or two. Follow this rebel rousing cheap$kate as I storm the ivory tower of haute cuisine!  And click on any recipe name to go to my blog post for all the riotous recipe instructions.

This French holiday is celebrated as the turning point of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Hey, this sounds like a fine excuse to celebrate French cuisine to me! So I'll start with one of my favorite ones, a hearty Cassoulet casserole.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home-cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya.

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage, and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound but chicken quarters from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, 99c only Stores always carry it.

A French mirepoix of guillotined veggies includes onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow-cooking on the stovetop and finish with baking in the oven to crisp poultry skin while thickening the rich sauce.

In the fall and winter months, I make a Cassoulet every few weeks, and always have leftovers to enjoy and share.

My next Francophile recipe really does use the cheapest veggie, onions. French Onion Soup uses half a dozen roughly sliced onions, that are cooked down until caramelized to a sweet brown hue.

 I get them from my local Latin market anywhere from 4 pounds for a dollar. Go ahead and use the least expensive white or yellow onions.

French Onion Soup comes together with red wine (cheap is okay,) a fave broth, butter, and a little flour to thicken it. A pretty simple recipe, but oh so delish, especially when it's finished off and topped with cheese and a slice of crusty bread.

My favorite fries are double-fried French Fries, and that's a tasty mouthful. Soggy fries were the norm until McDonald's came on the scene and changed forever the way Americans look at French Fries.

It became all about the crunchy outside and fluffy inside. And anyone can do it if you follow my method in the video below. But you have to go to the end of the video for my French Fry tutorial, as the first part is all about British-style beer-battered fried fish.



You would think a world-famous French chef would do French Fries right? Wrong -- I reviewed Chef Ludo Lefebvre's Fried Chicken Truck.

You can get French Fries with his fried chicken. Maybe it was an off day, but the fries were limp and soggy. I'm willing to try again when I run across the truck. Maybe they are great, just not when I was there. So check out my Cheap$kate Dining Review for French Chef Ludo's Fried Chicken and French Fries Truck to see for yourself.



But Chef Ludo  Lefebvre did turn my head around for his French Cheese Omelet. Man, is it tender and so goood. The French method is to whip eggs first, then lightly and continuously scramble them with a little butter until almost done, with the eggs still slightly moist. You finish by adding cheese and gently fold the egg into an omelet shape. 

My omelet experience is with middle American diner-style where the eggs are solid and a bit dry. Now I make my omelets the French way, and you can too if you follow my recipe video below.



I grew up watching Julia Child cooking French food on her Public TV cooking show. And she literally wrote the book on French cooking called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Her personality was larger than life, and I had to do a video in her honor after she passed away. My recipe homage is a bit silly, but it is done with heart. Check out my version of Julia Child's Crepes Suzette -- done by her nephew, Julian Child!

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew, at least until the Cheap$kate Cuisinier gets ahold of the recipe. Beef is too expensive, but pork is the right price, so I turned the recipe into a Pork Bourguignon.

All the other classic ingredients are included like: mushrooms, onions, tomato paste and of course, cheap red wine. To get that rich beefy flavor I include beef stock.

I didn't know there was a French-style Yogurt, so when I saw Oui by Yoplait at my local 99c only Store (the photo below is from a couple of years ago,)  I had to try it. Boy, is it creamy and flavorful. Some buy this brand just for the cool jar.

I like to add fresh fruit to plain yogurt. I find that pre-mixed yogurt with fruit is loaded with sugar and way too sweet for me. Below is how I do it.

So do click on any recipe name to see my original blog post recipe, and dig in!

Vive la France and Bon Appétit!

Cassoulet - Beans, Veggies, Chicken & Sausage

One of my first recipes, when I started this food blog way back in 2008, was a hearty slow-cooked bean and meat Cassoulet. I still make a Cassoulet, especially during our short cold spells here in L.A. Read on to see my delicious take on this classic French one-pot meal.

This Chef is a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, pommes frites (yes, French fries), and this French-style cheap$kate Cassoulet.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home-cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of my Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya. It's made with rice instead of beans and similarly loaded with sausage and chicken. 

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage, and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound but cheap chicken quarters, legs, or split breasts from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, you can use any local favorite brand that's on sale. 

Beans are still a good deal. I get my dried white beans from the local Dollar Tree for just over a buck per pound. You can use small or large white beans. The white beans are also called Great Northern, Haricot, Boston, or Navy Beans. 

A French mirepoix of veggies includes onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow cooking on the stovetop and in the oven.

The veggies I use for my Cassoulet are still cheap, you can't get much cheaper veggies than onion, carrots, and celery.

For a vegetarian version, you can add more large-cut veggies (carrots, potato) and leave out the meat (veggie stock instead of meat-flavored bouillon,) and top it with bread crumbs -- baking for an hour sweetens and intensifies the flavor of veggies and beans.

 Cassoulet can be a clean-out-your-refrigerator-of-veggies dish (I like to add more veggies than normal recipes call for including kale, spinach, or collard greens).

On a cold winter day, try out this simple baked bean and meat entree that tastes even better reheated the next day. The 99 Cent Chef's Cassoulet would make "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" author Julia Child proud.

Cassoulet - Video                   Play it here. The video runs for 5 minutes and 34 seconds. 

To view or embed from youtube, click here.

Ingredients (serves about 4) 

• 1 lb. package of white beans - small or large. Also called Great Northern, Navy, Horicot, and Boston beans.
• 8 cups of water (according to package directions.)
• 1 cup white wine or vegetable broth - optional.
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or any favorite fresh or dried herbs including sage and oregano.
• 1 each: whole onion, celery stalk, and carrot chopped.
• 2 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped, or a teaspoon of crushed garlic.
• 2 chicken leg quarters or a whole split chicken breast. Okay to use any favorite pieces of chicken.
• Sausage - about 1 pound. Any local favorite type.
• Salt and pepper to taste

*A nice touch is to add a layer of bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) on top of the meat when oven-baking.

Directions For Beans

Wash beans and pick out any debris if necessary. Chop veggies into large or small pieces. 

Add oil and saute onions for about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and saute for another minute. 

Finally add the chopped veggies, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

 Fill the pot with about 8 cups of water and a cup of wine. Wine is optional, okay to add any favorite broth like vegetable.

Bring beans, veggies, and water to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook until beans are tender, about 3 to 4 hours. Be sure to check on liquid if it cooks out - add water as needed.  

*Lately I've been adding greens. For quick-cooking spinach or Swiss chard, add these when you start baking the sausage and chicken. For slower cooking kale, collard, and mustard greens, add during the last hour of simmering beans. 

Directions Baking with Chicken and Sausage

Add chicken to the top of cooked, tender white beans. 

I like 2 chicken leg quarters, or a whole split breast (a whole breast that is sliced in half along the center bone.)  Okay to use any favorite chicken pieces you like.

I like to use uncooked sausages I find on sale. It's okay to use any local favorite cooked or uncooked sausages from your grocer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I like to add salt and pepper to the meat. 

Sprinkle a half cup of breadcrumbs over the top of the Cassoulet. Add pot to the oven.

Cooked uncovered in the oven for about an hour and a half until chicken is done (double check by piercing with a fork looking for clear juices.) Sausages should be done at about the same time. Because the meat is cooking with bean broth the meat also steams and will stay moist even when overcooked.

I bake the chicken skin side up and I add a pinch of salt and pepper to the top of the chicken pieces. That way the skin is crispy and well-seasoned when done. You can also remove the skin for a lighter Cassoulet. 

The breadcrumbs will brown as the Cassoulet bakes. When done, carefully remove from oven and allow to cool down for 5 minutes. This is a one-pot meal so all you need is a small salad if you like.

Cassoulet freezes fine, so don't let the large amount deter you. And it's the type of meal you can return to the next day -  it will be even better!