Savory Breakfast Pudding

This bread pudding, also known as a strata, is the perfect breakfast for a crowd. If you are looking for a way to have a relaxed morning with your company, prep this casserole the day before and bake it in the morning. The house will smell delicious and you will have a hot breakfast that everyone will love. The bread on top gets brown and crunchy while everything underneath is custardy and flavorful. Lemon juice brightens the dish and provides contrast to the richer flavors. The bacon can be swapped for veggie sausage or left out completely if you have vegetarians in the house. I have also swapped the milk for a plant based milk with great success. Feel free to riff on this recipe so everyone can enjoy it!

Ingredients 

1 loaf of unsliced bread

4 cups kale, chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped 

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

8 oz bacon, (or veggie sausage) chopped

5 sprigs of thyme 

1 tbsp lemon juice

6 Eggs

2 cups Milk

2 cups Gruyère, grated

Red chili flakes

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper 

Instructions 

Roughly tear bread into chunks

Put bread in a 200° oven to dry it out while you prepare the rest of the dish

Chop mushrooms, broccoli, onion, kale, garlic, parsley

Brown bacon in a skillet over medium and then crumble into large pieces

Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat

Add onions, thyme sprigs and ½ tsp salt to the pan and cook until onions are translucent but not brown

Add mushrooms, broccoli, crushed garlic and a few cracks of black pepper, saute until softened

Add kale and ½ tsp salt to the veggies and cook until wilted, add lemon juice

Increase heat and cook for 2 minutes to evaporate any liquid in the bottom of the pan, you want the veggie mixture to be fairly dry

Remove the sprigs of thyme

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few cracks of black pepper

In a larger bowl add bread, bacon, cheese, veggie mix, and most of the parsley 

Toss/mix until evenly dispersed

Pour ingredients into baking dish and press to flatten

Sprinkle with remaining parsley and red chili flakes

Pour batter evenly over bread mixture

Let sit for 5 minutes then bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes until the top is brown and the custard is set