Breakfast Bread Pudding with an Italian Twist

Ingredients 0/19

Step 1

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and give a 9x13-inch baking dish a light butter coating to keep things from sticking. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt a bit of butter and sauté the onions, green and red peppers with some black pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt until everything softens—about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley, then set the veggies aside to cool.

Step 2

Cook the sausage in another pan over medium heat until it’s nicely browned, around 5 to 7 minutes. Drain it on some paper towels to get rid of the extra grease. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, Italian seasoning, and the rest of your salt and pepper in a big bowl. Toss in the bread cubes and let them soak up the mixture for about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Once the bread has absorbed the liquid, mix in the cooked sausage, veggies, bacon, cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese until everything’s well combined. Pour this hearty mix into your prepared baking dish and cover it with foil. Pop it in the oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until it’s almost set.

Step 4

While that’s baking, mix together the remaining bread crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. When the pudding is nearly done, take off the foil, sprinkle this crumb topping evenly over the surface, and crank the oven up to 375°F (190°C). Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or so until the top is golden, puffed up, and the center is fully set.

Step 5

Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving to let everything settle and make slicing easier. Enjoy!