Savory Sausage and Mushroom Bread Pudding
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium celery rib with leaves, chopped
- 1 pound bulk sausage
- 12 ounces firm-textured white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 7 cups) and dried overnight or in the oven
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, preferably homemade
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
If you aren’t serving a stuffed turkey, this moist savory bread pudding will fill the bill. Seven cups of cubed seasoned bread stuffing can be substituted for the stale bread cubes.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give off their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom juices evaporate and the onion softens, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In the same skillet, cook the sausage over mediumhigh heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until it loses its pink color, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of vegetables. (The vegetables and sausage can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, stored in self-sealing plastic bags, and refrigerated.) Stir in the bread cubes. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Gradually whisk in the milk, then the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir into the bread cube mixture. Pour into the prepared dish.
- Bake until the top is browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.