Quick Cassoulet Stuffed Bread Melts

Last nights dinner was a recipe from Rachel Ray's 365 No Repeats, yes Rachel Ray. I know a lot of people can't stand her especially my friend who is a chef but I work & don't have all day to cook & let things like cassoulet simmer. So, before Matt got home I prepared the mise en place.

Pretty simple just chopped onions, carrots, garlic, thyme & sausage, add a bay leaf & rinse a can of white beans & I'm ready to go. When Matt got home I just sauteed up the sausage then added the veggies, cooked those for 5 minutes then added the beans & a little broth (ok, she says to deglaze the pan with the broth but she's told you to use a non-stick pan...there is nothing to deglaze). It was supposed to thicken up & be a little starchy at this point but was pretty watery so I crushed some of the beans with my spoon & voila. That is something we've noticed about a lot of Rachel's recipes, they are a lot more watery than they should be & take more time then she says to cook down (think she's trying too hard to stay in that 30 minute thing). The filling then just got scooped into two halves of a hallowed out baguette, topped with some Gruyere & toasted in the broiler for a few minutes.

It was so good! Is it really cassoulet? No, of course not (I don't have duck confit laying around) but it was certainly a great weeknight meal with a fabulous rich flavor. The fresh thyme & garlic sausage were probably a big factor in the flavor & we will make this again (actually we have half a batch left so we'll have it again this weekend).

off to make pizza sauce.....