Today, I spent the afternoon making a Chicken Cassoulet with Acorn Squash. We had acorn squash, orange and purple carrots, onions and garlic from the CSA, so this recipe seemed like a perfect choice for dinner. Although it was fairly time-consuming (it has been cooking since 3:00 and it is 7:00 now), it wasn't too challenging because much of the time involved simmering or baking. The hardest part was peeling the acorn squash, which I'm not planning to do again anytime soon. If I make the recipe again, I think I'll try it with butternut squash instead since that is easier to peel.
The recipe is from Cooking Light, so it's extra healthy (only 6g. of fat and a whopping 25g. of protein, thanks to three meats and some beans). Ironically, however, after four hours of cooking, it ended up tasting very similar to my favorite Sausage and Bean Casserole, which only takes about 30 minutes to make. While I appreciate the ability to use the squash and carrots in this recipe, I think I'll be sticking to the 30-minute version unless we have a special occasion.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter
2 cups chopped onion, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry Marsala or apple cider
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 cups water
2 cups diced peeled acorn squash
1 cup diced carrot
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast
2 bacon slices
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
Preparation
Melt margarine in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add Marsala, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Spoon into a bowl; set aside.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups water, squash, and carrot in pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Partially mash the beans with a potato masher, and add beans and tomato mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 325°.
Rub chicken with 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble bacon, and set aside. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet; cut into 1-inch pieces. Add 1 cup onion and sausage to skillet; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the chicken, crumbled bacon, and sausage mixture to bean mixture in pan, stirring to combine.
Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.
