“This post has been sponsored by Cans Get You Cooking. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Breakfast is super important to our family, and this savory bread pudding is great for brunch. It's made with canned spinach and asparagus right from my pantry - or what I like to call, my "Cantry!" 🙂 A well-stocked pantry filled with canned foods helps me get through the week with creative meals you can feel good about serving your family and friends. Plus, did you know February is National Canned Food Month?!
Now imagine cubes of Italian bread mixed with spicy sausage and delicious vegetables, then baked with silky egg custard and so much cheese. Doesn't this sound perfect? And, thanks to the use of canned goods, it comes together in no time so I can spend more time actually enjoying this meal with my family!
What goes into a savory bread pudding
What I love about this savory bread pudding recipe is that it's packed with vegetables - spinach, asparagus, onions, and peppers. I also use shredded mozzarella and some Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Eggs and milk are necessary for any kind of bread pudding to give you that custardy texture that makes bread puddings so good. You can also add different spices and herbs; I opted for a simple combination of salt, pepper and tarragon.
Not only does this savory bread pudding taste amazing, but it can help cut down on food waste. How many times have you reached in your fridge only to find that the fresh produce you purchased has already spoiled!? I know I’ve had to toss spoiled fruits and vegetables more times than I’d like to admit, and recipes that used canned foods like this one have definitely helped me out on that front too. You can check out cansgetyoucooking.com for more recipe inspiration and use #CansGetYouCooking and #NationalCannedFoodMonth when creating canned food recipes.
How to make savory bread pudding
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Brown sausages in the pan, this takes about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a plate and, in the same pan, sauté onion, garlic and peppers. Add in the asparagus to the pan and sear for a minute. Add in spinach and combine well. Finish by adding tarragon, salt and pepper.
Place bread cubes in a large bowl and mix them with browned sausage, cooked vegetables, and cheese. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with milk. Transfer the bread and vegetable mixture to an oven-safe dish and pour the egg and milk custard all over the bread. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes while you're heating the oven to 350F. Bake the savory bread pudding in the oven for one hour until the custard is fully cooked and the top is crispy. If the top has started browning, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Can I make this easy savory bread pudding ahead of time
You can easily make savory breakfast bread pudding ahead of time, and there are two ways to do so:
- Cover the uncooked bread pudding with a plastic wrap, refrigerate for 4-12 hours, and bake when ready.
- Bake the bread pudding and let it cool at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Heat in the oven at 250° for 30 minutes when ready to serve.
Can I freeze savory bread pudding
Yes. To freeze savory bread pudding, bake it and let it cool completely. Then, cover it with a plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight and heat in the oven at 250° F for 30 minutes.
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Modifications to savory breakfast bread pudding
This easy savory bread pudding is so easy to modify, and you can add or leave out what you like. For instance, if you'd like to have vegetarian bread pudding, leave out the sausage. You can also add other types of cheese such as cheddar or gouda. Another change you can make is to leave out ½ cup milk and use ½ cup heavy cream for creamier texture. As for the bread, go with what you like best; you can use white bread, French bread, Italian bread, or even sourdough.
Step-by-Step Recipe
Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 6 chicken sausage sliced into half moons
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ cup yellow and red peppers chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 can asparagus drained and sliced
- 1 can spinach drained
- 2 tablespoon tarragon chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups Italian bread cubes see notes
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups milk low fat
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium hear.
- Sear the chicken sausage until brown, set aside.
- In the same pan, heat another tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
- saute onion, garlic and peppers until translucent.
- Add in canned asparagus and canned spinach to the onion and peppers. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.
- Add in tarragon, salt and pepper. Stir and turn the heat off.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and add in seared sausage and cooked vegetables to the bread.
- Add in mozzarella and parmesan to the bowl, mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk until fully combined.
- Transfer the bread mixture to a 9x13 oven safe dish and pour the egg mixture over it.
- Let the uncooked savory bread pudding sit for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 4-12 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Bake the savory bread pudding for one hour until the egg custard is fully cooked. If the top starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Jenni LeBaron
This looks wonderful. I like that you've seasoned it with tarragon and its full of plenty of oozy cheese. Great savory warm up for winter!
Beth
I am so intrigued by this idea of savory bread pudding and just love how it changes the dish into something we like to call BFD (Breakfast for Dinner) in our house! Thanks for a great recipe.