We blog about this recipe here.
Make-ahead Savory Bread Pudding
- 2 T olive oil
- 3/4 lb fresh mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed (if using hot Italian, be sure you’re familiar with the brand and know you’ll enjoy the heat it has; we used some that ended up much too spicy)
- 1/2 onion peeled, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz spinach, chard or escarole; if using greens other than spinach remove the tough white parts and thinly slice
- 3 c whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 c shredded Gruyère cheese
- 10 c French bread ( about 1 lb), cut into about 1″ cubes and dried
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp fresh-grated nutmeg
Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook and stir until it’s no longer pink. Add the onion and garlic, lower heat, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is limp.
Add spinach to sausage mixture in pan. Stir until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the milk and eggs until combined. Stir in Gruyère, bread cubes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Add sausage mixture and stir to mix well. Scrape mixture into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish and smooth the top. At this point you can refrigerate it overnight – or put it directly into the oven.
If you refrigerated the bread pudding, remove it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before putting it in the oven.
Bake in a 375° oven until top is golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving – or serve barely warmed. Leftovers will heat up nicely in the microwave.