Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage and Sage

a table setting with a white table cloth, a whole roasted turkey, a glass off red wine and a baking dish with savory bread pudding

5 from 4 votes

Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage and Sage

Creamy, savory bread pudding with sausage, sage and caramelized leeks is the family favorite side dish that goes on my Thanksgiving table every year!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 696kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb mild pork sausage casings removed
4 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion thinly sliced
2 medium leeks whites only, washed well and thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp minced fresh sage
1 loaf day-old bread (about 1lb) country loaf or sourdough, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces

Custard

5 whole eggs
2 c milk
2 c cream
salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously butter a large (9x13) baking dish.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat then add in the olive oil and sausage. Cook the sausage for 8-10 minutes until brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Once fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a small plate or bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, add the butter, leek, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook the leeks and onion on medium/low heat until soft and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Stir often to prevent scorching. Right at the end, add in the fresh sage and thyme leaves. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes then turn off the heat.
While the onions and leeks are cooking, whisk together the milk, cream and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Next, add in the torn bread, cooked sausage, leek and onion – season generously with salt and pepper. Fold all of the ingredients together until evenly combined then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm!

Notes

You'll want to use day-old bread or bread that’s stale and doesn’t have much moisture in it. If your bread is still fresh or not dried out you can cube it into small pieces, place them on a baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and bake it for about 10 minutes. You don’t want to completely toast the bread, just dry it out.

Nutrition