Bacon Mushroom Bread pudding is soft and custardy with salty bacon and flavorful mushrooms. The type of savory bread pudding you want to take to any brunch.
No one is ever upset about this recipe! In fact I get rave reviews, compliments and pleads for this bacon mushroom bread pudding recipe whenever I make it.
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I make this anytime I’m asked to bring a dish to brunch or breakfast, or if I have folks over for a holiday. It is typically the star of the show!
Much like my Raspberry and Cream Bread Pudding recipe, this strata, or bread pudding (whatever you’d like to call it), is a crowd pleaser because of the custardy, flavorful ingredients.
Strata and Bread Pudding Recipes
I often use the terms strata and bread pudding interchangeably. They are so very similar, but have a few distinct differences.
Both stratas and bread puddings are great make ahead brunch recipes. They both consist of a bread base and milk or cream and eggs to soften the bread and create a custard when baked.
Strata recipes typically have more eggs than bread pudding, and typically include savory ingredients.
Notice I said typically. Both brunch casseroles can be savory or sweet. That being said, you’ll most often see stratas at breakfast and brunch and bread puddings for brunch or dessert!
Bake your casserole in these beautiful baking dishes.
Make ahead brunch recipes:
I have several recipes that lend themselves to be prepped or made ahead for brunch and breakfast.
Prep everything ahead for my Cherry and Pistachio Yogurt Bowls.
The batter for the world’s best bran muffins can be made days in advance and baked fresh when you need them.
Oven Baked French Toast Fondue bakes in the oven as you make other things.
Make this easy brunch casserole:
Most bread puddings or stratas call for stale or day old bread. These brunch casserole recipes were invented to use up this day old bread, by reviving it and soaking it in milk and egg.
If you do have old bread, feel free to use it, and let the mixture sit and soak for a little longer.
If you’re shopping and cooking immediately, I just suggest a hearty bread like a rustic french bread or rustic loaf. Softer bread is fine, it will just produce a different, more soft texture in the end.
Bacon Mushroom Bread Pudding is an easy, make-ahead brunch casserole for all your gatherings.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small onions thinly sliced root to tip
- 3 cups (10 oz) sliced mushrooms
- 8 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1½ cups (6 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
- ¾ cup (3 oz) shredded fontina cheese
- 6 cups 1-inch bread cubes with crusts a hearty French bread works well
- 8 eggs beaten
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Butter for dish
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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add onions; stir to coat. Cook until onions start to soften, about 2 min, then reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are golden and soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 min; remove from skillet and wipe clean. Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet, add mushrooms and sauté until golden, 3 to 4 min.
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In a large bowl combine onions, mushrooms, bacon, thyme, cheese and bread cubes. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over bread, stirring to coat.
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Butter a 2½- to 3-qt baking dish and arrange bread mixture evenly in dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 4 hr or up to 24 hr.
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Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake strata until eggs are set and top is golden brown, about 50 min; cover with foil if top gets too brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• I love to cook this as a make ahead Christmas breakfast. Thanksgiving and New Year’s are perfect times to serve this as well.
Recipe Tara Teaspoon, Photography Yunhee Kim, Food Stylist Paul Grimes, Prop stylist Michelle Wong, Originally published LHJ 04/11.
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