The Best Savory Bread Pudding

Studded with sweet cherry tomatoes, fragrant basil, toasted Italian bread and mozzarella cheese, this savory bread pudding tastes just like pizza!

Make it part of your next brunch, light dinner or BREAK FAST for High Holidays. It’s easy to make, requires no fancy mixer or ingredients and can be made with any white or whole grain loaf bread- even a gluten free loaf! Let’s bake!

Get set up first! Read through the recipe. Then read it again.  Then gather all your ingredients. Chop and set aside vegetables. Measure and set aside milk, eggs and spices. This is what the French call

“Mise En Place” or

Everything in it’s place.

Getting organized before you start will make you a more successful and confident cook. And the food will turn out better too!
You’ll need a 9×13 inch pan and cooking spray.

Cube the bread. You actually want to use dry (old) bread so it will soak up more of the milk and egg mixture. If your bread is fresh, cube and toast it in the oven at 400 F for about ten minutes.

Use the natural ridges of the onion to guide you as you chop.  Cut the onion in half, then slice down along the ridges of the onion as seen in the photo. Then make 4 lateral cuts from the top to the bottom of the onion to form a kind of grid. Then slice down every half inch or so to create little cubes. Don’t worry; it doesn’t have to be perfect!

Roll a stack of basil leaves and thinly slice the roll to create ribbons.

Set chopped vegetables next to the stove so you have everything you need when you start cooking.

Sauté onion and garlic together for about ten minutes, then add  tomatoes for just a few minutes. (You don’t want the tomatoes to get too soft before they go in the oven.) Remove from heat and toss with basil.
Toss the bread cubes with  sautéed vegetables and cheese right in the pan. Then pour the milk and egg mixture on top of the bread and toss gently again. Bake for thirty minutes and you’re done!

The best part of this easy recipe? Make it ahead of time, let cool, cover and refrigerate up to three days. Cut it while cold for easier slicing. It reheats beautifully. Top with more mozzarella before reheating, if desired and serve straight out of the pan.

Dig in to The Best Savory Bread Pudding, a fresh and deliciously different vegetarian main or side to add to your next brunch, dinner or break fast. And check out the nutritional information below!

[tasty-recipe id=”7659″]

Lighten this recipe by replacing full fat cheese and milk with skim or lower fat dairy and replace some of the egg yolks with whites.

Nutritional information from caloriecount.com