Thanksgiving Came Early
I’m officially celebrating Thanksgiving in August with this Savory Bread Pudding recipe! Why, you may ask? Well, while making this recipe, I came to a realization: it’s essentially stuffing without the typical stuffing ingredients! And if you know me or read my Thanksgiving Stuffing post, I’m an absolute fiend for stuffing. It’s the best Thanksgiving side dish and this Savory Bread Pudding is kind of like an appetizer for Thanksgiving. It has Thanksgiving stuffing vibes, but is not quite Thanksgiving.
Let’s Get Started
The main difference between this Savory Bread Pudding recipe and stuffing is that stuffing uses broth to moisten the bread. This recipe, on the other hand, uses half and half and eggs for the custard base, so it’s going to be a lot more rich — in the best way possible, of course.
I layered stale French bread with sweet Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, bacon, cheddar cheese, and smoked gouda. Then I poured the custard base over top and let the bread soak in it overnight. This ensures that the stale bread is really going to absorb all of that moisture and give you a soft, fluffy, and moist end product! I really love the combination of ingredients used in this recipe because you get a nice balance of everything! There’s some sweet and salty action with the sweet caramelized onions and salty sausage and bacon. The crushed red pepper flakes that are mixed into the custard add a pinch of heat. Then the gouda adds a deep smoky flavor that runs through the dish!
Bread Pudding All Day Every Day
I’m not really sure what category this Savory Bread Pudding would fall into. Honestly, I think it could be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner but maybe that’s just because I love it so much, so you tell me haha! This is a great dish to make for a crowd because it feeds lot of people and it can be made a day in advance. All you need to to the day-of is pop it into the oven! I’m a complete sucker for these types of recipes because, like I mention in many of my posts, I’m all for making my life easier on days that I’m hosting a gathering. If you’re a stuffing lover, definitely try this recipe out and let me know if it’s getting you pumped for Thanksgiving! Thanks for joining me today and I’ll catch you in my next post!
Savory Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
- 4 strips Thick Cut Bacon
- 1 medium Yellow Onion
- 1 3/4 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 3/4 cup Grated Smoked Gouda
- 6 Large Eggs
- 3 cups Half and Half
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
- 10 cups Stale Cubed French Bread (1 inch cubes)
- 1/2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (for greasing)
- As Needed Chopped Chives (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the sausage to the pan. Cook and crumble the sausage until it browns and is fully cooked. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- Heat the same pan over medium high heat. Add the strips of bacon to the pan and cook them until both sides are crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow them to drain and cool on a plate lined with paper towels. When the bacon has cooled, chop them into bits.
- Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until they turn translucent. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook the onions until they caramelize into a brown color. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.
- Add the grated cheddar and smoked gouda to a large bowl. Then add in the eggs and mix with a whisk until the eggs are well blended. Add in the half and half, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, and oregano. Mix to combine.
- Rub the unsalted butter onto the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Add half of the bread cubes to the dish and spread them out into an even layer. Distribute half of the bacon, sausage, caramelized onions, and cherry tomatoes on top of the bread. Then pour half of the egg mixture on top. Add the remaining bread on top and layer on the rest of all the toppings. Pour the remaining egg mixture on top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge to sit over night.
- The following day, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the dish and place it into the oven. Bake it for 50-55 minuted until the center of the bread pudding has set. Remove it from the oven and allow it to stand for 8-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped chives and enjoy!
