French Onion Savory Bread Pudding

A friend asked if I’ve seen the savory bread pudding trend. I said I hadn’t but of course that triggered something and I’m seeing recipes all over the place for them. 

Being vegetarian-adjacent has been my mode since I was 26 or so, when I stopped being a vegetarian, this recipe is nearly vegetarian, it uses fish-sauce, but it could easily be omitted. It’s texture is like very moist Thanksgiving stuffing, which stands to reason, because stuffing is essentially a savory bread pudding. 

Ingredients

2 loaves French or Italian Bread

3 pounds sweet onions, sliced thinly

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

½ cup white wine

2 cups mushrooms

6 eggs

3 ½ cups half and half or whole milk

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcester sauce 

1 teaspoon fish-sauce or 2 anchovies

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup gruyere cheese

1 cup smoked cheese, mozzarella or cheddar 

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Teat the bread into walnut sized chunks, or cut into 1 inch cubes. Bake on a sheet pan until thoroughly dried, 25 minutes. Toss a few times to assure even dryness. 

In a heavy bottomed skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter, add onions, salt and sugar. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat undisturbed. Remove the lid. Stir and cook for 50 minutes until the onions are a light golden color. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook 5 minutes then add the wine and cook to reduce. Remove onions to a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet saute the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Alternatively, cook the mushrooms in a second skillet, while the onions finish caramelizing. 

In a large bowl combine the eggs, half and half, mustard, Worcester sauce, fish-sauce, salt and pepper. Whisk or use a hand blender to combine. Add the dried bread and push it under the egg mixture to soak, 15 minutes. 

Use a 9x13 inch pan, or a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Butter the pan. Layer half the bread, then half the onions, all the mushrooms, half the cheeses. Top with the remaining bread, onions, and cheese. 

Cover with a piece of parchment then foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake 5 minutes more. 

Makes a great brunch entree, vegetarian center of the plate dinner, or a side dish to beefy dinner. 

What’s your favorite bread pudding style casserole?