Mary Anne's Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports

Mary Anne's Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

Bread pudding doesn't have to be sweet and served as a dessert. Leftover baguettes or sour dough bread from the night before can be transformed into a delicious breakfast meal. This recipe has all sorts of possibilities; use your imagination and what's leftover in your refrigerator.

Nonstick cooking spray

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, diced

1/2 - 1 medium onion, diced (Our family likes onions, so I use the whole medium onion)

1 pound sweet, mild or hot Italian sausage, removed from casing

Or

1 pound breakfast sausage

Handful of fresh spinach, rinsed and patted dry, optional

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 baguette or sour dough bread, day old, cubed

Cheddar cheese, for topping, optional

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Add the cubed bread and spinach, if using, to the egg mixture and let the bread mixture sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow the bread to absorb the liquid.
• Spray a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (Pam) and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms and onion. Add the  Italian sausage and stir until cooked through.
• Remove the egg and bread mixture from the refrigerator, add the sausage, mushrooms and onions, and stir to combine. Spoon the bread pudding mixture into the baking pan. If using, sprinkle cheddar cheese. Bake until set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Note: I like to check it around
  the 30 minute point with a toothpick inserted into the center to see if it is ready. Serves approximately 6. (Sometimes we top the savory bread pudding with maple syrup. So yummy!)

Note: You can also use a 12 cup muffin tin for individual servings. Just line the muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Then, when mixture is ready, ladle the bread pudding into the individual muffin tins and bake at 325 degrees F. until they are set, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin tins to a serving platter and serve. These individual savory muffins freeze well, too.

Note: You could add 1 cup diced orange, red, or green bell peppers to sausage mixture and sauté.

Note: You can substitute turkey sausage, two egg whites for one of the whole eggs, one-half of a whole grain baguette, and 1% milk. If you make these substitutions, each serving comes to approximately 136 calories per serving or muffin.