Never having made cassoulet (simplified or not) before, I was pleased with the clear directions and methodical steps required to produce this. I followed the recipe almost exactly and adapted a few hints by the reviewers. What I found that worked was to put the whole thing together the night before and then let it sit. Complete the last baking step right before serving. I used a pork roast instead of lamb, chicken instead of duck, and omitted the proscuitto. My rural grocery stores don't have exotic ingredients like these too often. The pork was well-received but the chicken seemed a little too dry. I am personally a vegetarian, cooking for carnivores, so next time we will omit maybe the Italian sausages and add zucchini and squash just to even things out a bit. The meat gives the vegetables an excellent flavor. Delicious, delicious, delicious!

I loved this - used chicken (it was what I had on hand) amazingly easy. Thanks!

This is a very good, solid recipe for a modern style cassoulet, and perfect for cold weather, and with the amount it makes, for having friends and family over as well. I omit proscuitto because I just don't believe it's necessary if you have good quality sausages, plus I don't like to take away from the succulent texture and flavour the duck fat gives the casserole by crossing cutting it with this type of ham but each to their own tastes. I also occasionally add rosemary and a bay leaf, but not always, and thyme does just as well alone. I don't know why this one is titled simplified cassoulet as it is very close in ingredients to the traditional which is a long list, although the timing is much less. Yet it is all well worth the effort involved. I think it is also a very enjoyable dish to make, layering your ingredients and simmering it to perfection, savouring the wonderful scent it makes as it cooks.

Cassoulet is a labor of love but this at least drastically cuts down on the labor. I had to make a few changes due to neccessatity: use pork shoulder instead of lamb because it is hard to find here, and used chicken thighs with skin-on for the duck. If brine the chicken thighs prior to cooking them, they develop a flavor similar to duck confit. And I have found the flavor is best if you let everything sit overnight and do the last baking the next day. Is this the same as cassuolet a French restaurant? No, but it is doable at home and captures all the great flavors without slaving for 3+ days.