Serves a Crowd

Savory Sausage, Greens and Slow Roasted Tomato Bread Pudding

December  9, 2010
4
1 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

I love savory bread puddings. They are the kind of one dish meal that I could eat every day, since you can use virtually any combination of vegetables, cheese and meat that you have on hand. This one contrasts a crispy bread top with a soft, silky, pudding bottom, incorporating sweet, salty, and slightly spicy flavors. Studded with slow roasted tomatoes and ribbons of kale it has a festive appearance that makes it perfect for a holiday meal. —gingerroot

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For Slow Roasted Tomatoes
  • 12 large cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 pinches of sea salt
  • 2 pinches of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • In the morning:
  • Unsalted butter for the casserole
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon chevre
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese
  • 1 day old baguette, sliced and cubed (for about 7 cups of cubes) - I used a frozen baguette that I let sit out for twenty minutes or so before cutting
  • 2 links spicy Italian sausage (can substitute sweet Italian sausage if you prefer)
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups chopped kale leaves (I used a mixture of lacinato and curly kale)
  • 10 sweet basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 3/4 cup 1% milk
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Grinds of fresh black pepper
Directions
  1. For Slow Roasted Tomatoes
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently scrape and scoop tomato halves to remove most of the seeds.
  4. Arrange tomato halves on paper, topping each with minced garlic. Sprinkle tomato halves with salt and sugar. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until wrinkled and mostly dry. Start checking at 45 minutes to make sure they do not burn. Make tomatoes in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight; be sure to allow tomatoes to come up to room temperature before using.
  1. In the morning:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large 13x9x2 ovenproof casserole dish. Set aside
  3. In a small bowl, combine cheeses, breaking up large chunks with a fork. Set aside.
  4. Remove casings and sauté sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to crumble sausage. Cook until browned on all sides. Remove sausage with a spoon (not slotted) and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
  5. Add onion and garlic to hot pan with sausage drippings. Cook, stirring, until onion begins to get translucent, about two minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add kale and cook, stirring until wilted and bright green. Remove pan from heat.
  6. Stir in slow roasted tomatoes and cooked sausage.
  7. Layer about 1/2 of the bread cubes in bottom of baking dish. Follow with 1/2 of the sausage-tomato-kale mixture, and then dot with ½ of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers once more to use all of sausage-tomato-kale, cheese, and bread.
  8. Whisk eggs with half-and-half and milk. Stir in basil ribbons. Season with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; since the sausage and cheese add a lot of salt you do not need a lot. Pour evenly over bread-sausage-tomato-kale-cheese mixture.
  9. Using the back of a spoon, gently press down on bread cubes to soak up liquid. There will not be enough liquid to submerge the bread, this is okay. This will ensure that the top is crispy and the bottom soft.
  10. Bake bread pudding in the middle oven for about 50-55 minutes. Bread top should be golden and the pudding fragrant. Allow to cool for a bit and then serve immediately. Enjoy!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Katie Krouse
    Katie Krouse
  • TheWimpyVegetarian
    TheWimpyVegetarian
  • cookinginvictoria
    cookinginvictoria
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • lapadia
    lapadia
gingerroot

Recipe by: gingerroot

My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love. Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.

18 Reviews

Katie K. June 22, 2019
Skip roasting you own tomatoes and just purchase a jar of sun dried tomatoes... so much easier and more delicious! Other than that this recipe is perfect!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian November 18, 2011
Savory bread puddings are just the best! I haven't had breakfast yet and I'd love some of this. Right now.
 
gingerroot November 18, 2011
Thank you so much, ChezSuzanne!
 
cookinginvictoria November 17, 2011
Gingerroot, so happy that you entered this bread pudding into the current contest. I made it a few months ago and it was really yummy, such great comfort food I loved the combination of slow roasted tomatoes and spicy sausage. It's a chilly morning in Victoria -- would love to eat some of this bread pudding today for breakfast!
 
gingerroot November 17, 2011
Thanks for letting me know, cookinginvictoria! That means a lot to me coming from a cook I admire. : )
 
aargersi November 17, 2011
Yum! Love breakfast bread pudding! And really slow roasted tomatoes make everything better right? And kale makes it HEALTH FOOD! I am making a bread pudding too but it's different than this so hopefully I won't step on your pudding toes!
 
gingerroot November 17, 2011
Thanks, a! You are so right about slow roasted tomatoes, I eat them like candy. And, there is no such thing as too much bread pudding...can't wait to see yours!
 
lapadia November 17, 2011
I love bread pudding, especially savory, and I haven't a clue why this recipe slipped by me, thanks for sharing it, gr!
 
gingerroot November 17, 2011
You are so welcome, lapadia! I would love to hear your thoughts if you try it.
 
creamtea August 30, 2011
This sounds good. I also like the idea of a savory bread pudding. This is the kind of food my kids would gladly eat, any day.
 
gingerroot August 30, 2011
Thank you, creamtea. After warm noodle soup, savory bread pudding is one of my favorite comfort foods.
 
gingerroot December 10, 2010
Thanks, thirschfeld. We enjoyed it for dinner tonight - I'm thinking savory pudding is my new favorite one dish, any time of day meal.
 
hardlikearmour December 9, 2010
Wow! I would love to wake up to this coming out of the oven. The slow roasted tomatoes are an awesome idea.
 
gingerroot December 10, 2010
Thanks, hardlikearmour! I hope you try it, the slow roasted tomatoes are a nice contrast to the sausage and rich cheese combination.
 
Sagegreen December 9, 2010
Oh and the slow roasting tomatoes! Yum.
 
gingerroot December 10, 2010
Thanks, Sagegreen - I love the concentrated sweet burst of flavor of slow roasted tomatoes!
 
thirschfeld December 9, 2010
Yum. I am with you on the savory bread pudding.
 
gingerroot December 10, 2010
Just when I'm least expecting it...whoops, see above.