Make the bean sausages the day before. Store in the fridge to firm up.
Soak beans all day in salted water. Drain and add water to a medium saucepan. Add the beans and bring to a gentle boil and then turn down to low. Check after 20 minutes and if the beans are getting relatively soft, turn off the heat and set aside. You want to soften the beans substantially but not fully cook them.
½ lb cassoulet beans
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a Dutch oven, cook the vegetables with plenty of olive oil over medium-high with just a pinch of salt until softened and starting to take on some brown color, 5-8 minutes.
3 tbsp olive oil, 1 bulb fennel, 1 large leek, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large yellow onion, 3 stalks celery, 3 large carrots, ½ tsp salt
Add 1 tsp smoked paprika and stir. Add the tomato paste and miso and mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook for a bit longer until everything is well-combined.
1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp miso, 15 oz diced tomatoes
Add the vegetable stock, farcelette (dried herb bundle) and the fresh herb sprigs. Mix. Add the drained, soaked beans. Bring to a simmer, ensuring there is plenty of liquid to cover the beans and allow absorption for the beans. Add a bit of vegetable stock or water if needed.
1 farcelette, 2 cups vegetable stock, 3-4 sprigs sage
Once simmering well, cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake, covered, for 1-2 hours. Check every 30 minutes or so to ensure the beans are well-covered in liquid and then, after an hour, the doneness of the beans. Beans should cook in about 60-90 minutes.
As the beans approach being done, prepare the sausages. Slice on a diagonal into 1” or ½” pieces. Pan-fry in a few tbsp oil until they’ve developed a nice crust.
6 bean sausages
Once beans have cooked, uncover the dish and add the fried sausages on top. Gently press sausage pieces into the soup. Bake, uncovered, for another 15-30 minutes to allow the sausages to flavor-meld with the soup and for some of the remaining liquid to cook off.
Remove from the oven and carefully remove the herb bundle and herb sprigs. Allow to cool some and then serve with a crusty bread.