Slow-Cooker Cassoulet

This is a really delicious, comforting meal in a cold night. I made some tweaks to use what I had on hand: a ham bone instead of a ham hock and 1 pound of pork instead of the 2 pounds called for. I did the quick soak method for the beans and ended up having to cook a bit longer in the slow cooker than the specified time to get them tender. I also used dried panko breadcrumbs instead of fresh and it worked great, just cook time was a lot faster. This is all to say: a very adaptable recipe the whole family loved.

We loved it! The secret here is the ham hock & browning the tomato paste & the wine to release the brown bits!!! I used fresh thyme as fresh herbs are my favorite. I added spinach & carrots cause I’ve gotta sneak these in on the fam when I can. Served over a white wild rice blend. This is a keeper! Thank you Eating Well, I use a lot of your recipes!

This was easy enough to make, but the flavor was not that exciting to me. Maybe because I added some extra water (I was worried about the beans cooking and not having enough water... didn't seem to be a valid worry- there was plenty of liquid), but it seemed to be missing something... maybe I wanted a little more acidity? I used crushed saltines instead of breadcrumbs because it's easier... probably not as healthy as whole wheat though. :)