Savory Bread Pudding (Strata)

This savory bread pudding (a.k.a. strata) is a low glycemic vegetarian casserole made with sourdough bread, cheese, an egg custard, and Mediterranean veggies. It is easy and delish, making a comforting make-ahead holiday breakfast or brunch, which you can prepare using leftovers.  

Stress not! Make this breakfast casserole the night before (with leftovers if you prefer), chill it, and bake it one hour before serving.

It will make your holiday morning jolly!

Serve our vegetarian bread pudding with some fresh fruits and a cup of coffee or hot cocoa... and enjoy!

What's a strata?

Strata is an American casserole or savory bread pudding made with layers of cubed bread soaked in egg custard and cheese. It can include meat or vegetables!

The first known recipe, the cheese strata,  called for bread, white sauce, and cheese. It dates back to 1902 but it was popularized in 1984 in the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.

Its modern version mixes all the ingredients together instead of layering the bread and filling.

Either way, it can be made in advance and then baked.

Quiche vs. Frittata vs. Savory Bread Pudding

All 3 savory dishes are baked egg custards that include vegetables and/or meats although of different origins.

The difference is quiche is a French dish that contains a flaky crust, a frittata is an Italian dish that has an egg custard with no crust, and a strata (or savory bread pudding) is an American casserole that calls for bread.

All of them are usually served for breakfast or at brunchtime!

Why You'll Love This Strata Recipe

• Easy to make: It calls for bread, egg custard, veggies, and cheese that you mix together and bake.
• Make-ahead: After preparing the casserole, you can either refrigerate it overnight to bake later, or bake it, freeze it, and reheat it when you're ready to serve.
• Low glycemic index: It calls for sourdough bread which is considered low glycemic.
• Rich in protein: It calls for milk, eggs, and cheese!
• Perfect for different occasions: It makes an easy Christmas, Easter, or get-together breakfast, or brunch.
• Versatile: You can replace the veggies with your faves and add meats such as Italian sausage.
• It can be budget-friendly: You can use any type of bread, veggies, or melting cheese you have at home and that is more economical.

Savory Bread Pudding Recipe

Christmas breakfast is a tradition at my house...And this loosely adapted version of Emeril's Savory Bread Pudding is perfect for the occasion!

After opening our presents, we sit down together to enjoy the food and chat. I like to prepare our breakfast the night before and have it ready to bake while we open the presents.

It saves me time and hassle so that I can enjoy my children's smiles when they open their presents.

This savory bread pudding is the breakfast casserole that I will prepare for my family. Every year, I try a different recipe but this time we will be enjoying this one -- which will be the last Christmas recipe presented here for this year.

I tried the original version several months ago and got hooked. It was a huge success at a class breakfast at my church as well.

I have to say that Chef Emeril Lagasse did a phenomenal job on his savory bread pudding.

But I have to confess that I have adapted his original savory bread pudding recipe a bit in order to make it diabetes-friendly by using sourdough instead of French bread.

I also used the veggies I had in my fridge and cut down the fat by not adding heavy cream. Because I find blue cheese to have a very strong flavor, I replaced it with gruyere cheese.

Whichever version (the original or mine) you choose, it's a win-win game!

Ingredients and Substitutions

To prepare this easy savory bread pudding, you'll need:

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or unsalted butter)
• 2 large leeks, cleaned and white part sliced thinly
• 2 large red bell peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (or another fresh herb of choice such as fresh thyme)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk (or half-and-half for a creamier texture that is still not too fatty)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz green olives, pitted and either chopped or whole (or you can use pitted Kalamata olives)
• 9 oz gruyere cheese, grated (or another melting cheese such as white cheddar or swiss cheese)
• 16-ounce sourdough bread loaf, day-old and cut into 1-inch chunks (SEE NOTES) -- If you aren't diabetic, you can use rustic country bread, French bread, or baguette.

How to Make Savory Bread Pudding

1. COOK THE VEGGIES: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add in the oil, and cook the leeks, bell peppers, and rosemary, stirring often, until the leeks are lightly golden and the peppers have softened (about 5 minutes). PIC. 1
2. Remove from heat and let it cool.
3. Spray a 9″x13″ (23 x 33 cm) ceramic baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
4. MAKE THE EGG MIXTURE: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. PICS. 2 & 3
5. MIX THE BREAD, CHEESE, EGG CUSTARD, AND VEGGIES: Mix in the cooked veggie mixture, olives, ⅔ of the cheese, and the bread cubes. PIC. 4
6. LET IT REST: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. BAKE: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Take the bread pudding out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and top it with the remaining ⅓ of the gruyere cheese. PIC. 5
8. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the savory bread pudding puffs up and gets golden brown on top. Serve topped with a few fresh rosemary sprigs! PIC. 6

TIP: If you forgot to leave your bread out overnight to dry out, you can fake it. For this, cut it into 1-inch chunks, spread it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toast it for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, or until toasted and dry but not browned. Do not coat it with oil or butter! Let it cool before mixing the chunks with the egg custard! Although you can use fresh bread to make savory bread pudding, it won't absorb as much of the egg custard and also the texture will be soft instead of firm.

What bread is best for this savory pudding?

Basically, any type of bread can be used for savory bread pudding but for this one specifically, we used sourdough because is low glycemic (it won't spike insulin) and is tangy. But other hard-crusted bread such as French bread and baguette that are mild and have more of a firm texture will go well in this breakfast casserole.

Tips For Making Savory Bread Pudding

• Save time by preparing this casserole the night before you plan on serving it. Simply prepare the mixture the day before, chill, covered it in the fridge overnight, and bake it the next morning. It makes a great meal prep!
• If you have leftovers, no worries! You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 2 months and reheat them before eating.
• Make sure to grease the baking dish well; otherwise, you'll have trouble getting the slices out of it.
• Just because this is a "breakfast/brunch" recipe doesn't mean you can't enjoy it for dinner as well!
• Use whatever leftover veggies (or meats) or stale bread you have.
• For a custardy casserole, replace half of the milk with heavy cream, or simply use half-and-half.

How to Store

Make-ahead: You can make this breakfast casserole dish the night before, refrigerate covered, and bake it in the oven before serving.

Leftovers: You can store them covered for up to 2 days in the fridge. Or you can wrap the casserole well in plastic wrap and then with foil, label, and freeze for 2-3 months.

To defrost, place in the fridge overnight.

To reheat, unwrap the strata and reheat in a 350-degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through. But to get that crispy top back, place it in the broiler for a few seconds to crisp up the top!

Other Bread Pudding Recipes

• Easy bread pudding
• Chocolate bread pudding flan
• Bread pudding with sauce

Other Breakfast Casseroles

• Brioche French toast casserole
• Stuffed French toast casserole

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5 from 5 votes

Savory Bread Pudding (Strata)

This savory bread pudding (a.k.a. strata) is a vegetarian casserole made with sourdough bread, cheese, an egg custard, and Mediterranean veggies. It is easy and delish, making a comforting make-ahead holiday breakfast or brunch, which you can prepare using leftovers.  

Course:Breakfast

Cuisine:American

Keywords:baked, breakfast casserole, cheese, Mediterranean vegetables, savory bread pudding, sourdough bread, vegetarian recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Resting time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories453.5 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 1.00 per person

Equipment

• 1 Ceramic baking dish
• 1 oven
• 1 cutting board
• 1 Chef's knife
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 Serrate knife
• 1 large nonstick skillet

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
• 2 large leeks cleaned and white part sliced thinly
• 2 large red bell peppers de-seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary minced (or another fresh herb of choice such fresh thyme)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk or half-and-half for a creamier texture that is still not too fatty
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz green olives pitted and either chopped or whole (or you can use pitted Kalamata olives)
• 9 oz gruyere cheese grated (or another melting cheese such as white cheddar or swiss cheese)
• 16 oz sourdough bread loaf day-old and cut into 1-inch chunks (SEE NOTES) -- If you aren't diabetic, you can use rustic country bread, French bread, or baguette.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• COOK THE VEGGIES: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add in the oil, and cook the leeks, bell peppers, and rosemary, stirring often, until the leeks are lightly golden and the peppers have softened (about 5 minutes).
• Remove from heat and let it cool.
• Spray a 9″x13″ (23 x 33 cm) ceramic baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• MAKE THE EGG MIXTURE: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.
• MIX THE BREAD, CHEESE, EGG CUSTARD, AND VEGGIES: Mix in the cooked veggie mixture, olives, ⅔ of the cheese, and the bread cubes.
• LET IT REST: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• BAKE: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Take the bread pudding out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and top it with the remaining ⅓ of the gruyere cheese.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes until the savory bread pudding puffs up and gets golden brown on top. Serve topped with a few fresh rosemary sprigs!

Recipe Notes

If you forgot to leave your bread out overnight to dry out, you can fake it. For this, cut it into 1-inch chunks, spread it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toast it for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, or until toasted and dry but not browned. Do not coat it with oil or butter! Let it cool before mixing the chunks with the egg custard! Although you can use fresh bread to make savory bread pudding, it won't absorb as much of the egg custard and also the texture will be soft instead of firm.

 

 

How to Store

Make-ahead: You can make this breakfast casserole dish the night before, refrigerate covered, and bake it in the oven before serving.

Leftovers: You can store them covered for up to 2 days in the fridge. Or you can wrap the casserole well in plastic wrap and then with foil, label, and freeze for 2-3 months.

To defrost, place in the fridge overnight.

To reheat, unwrap the strata and reheat in a 350-degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through. But to get that crispy top back, place it in the broiler for a few seconds to crisp up the top!

Nutrition

Calories: 453.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.5g | Protein: 22.6g | Fat: 23.7g | Saturated Fat: 9.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 165.2mg | Sodium: 1267.3mg | Potassium: 344.4mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1979.9IU | Vitamin C: 40.9mg | Calcium: 473.2mg | Iron: 3.6mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

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This post was first published on December 20, 2012. The recipe has been updated with some modifications.