Oh. wow.
Those are the words that come to mind when I think about this dish.
Sure, I could honestly say: “the-crunchy-bread-pairs-perfectly-with-the-tender-mushrooms-and-the-chicken-sausage-blends-right-in-while-giving-it-an-extra-heartiness-while-the-leeks-subtly-bring-it-all-together.”
But what I really want to say is, Oh. wow.
I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’m not too sure what the difference between Bread Pudding and Stuffing is, except that Bread Pudding sounds more acceptable to eat year-round. But I found the inspiration for this dish in Food Network Magazine and they called it Bread Pudding, so I’m sticking with it. You can definitely omit the chicken sausage and use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian, but we decided to throw it in and call this our meal.
Oh and Food Network Magazine says this serves 8 to 10. Um, yeah. About that. I’m going to stick with the fact that we called this “dinner” rather than a side dish, but if we’re being honest here, my husband and I each started with a giant piece, then went back for seconds.
Then the night progressed and we nibbled a little here and there.
And then there was just that awkward piece left that just looked so lonely and wasn’t big enough for leftovers but we sure weren’t going to waste it.
So then we just had to clear the pan.
So I’m going to leave the serving size up to you, and just remind you that once you take a bite of this, you may fall short of words to describe how delicious it is.
Mushroom, Leek and Chicken Sausage Bread Pudding
by
Adapted from Food Network
Keywords: bake entree side chicken sausage leeks mushrooms Thanksgiving winter fall
Ingredients
- 4 cups (about 5 slices) multi-grain bread, cubed
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 1 chicken sausage, sliced
- 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
- 4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Oregano, to taste
- Thyme, to taste
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes in single layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 5-8 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken sausage and cook 8-10 minutes, until browned. Add leeks and cook 5-10 minutes, until tender. Mix in mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
3. In large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, chicken broth and 1 cup of Gruyere cheese. Stir in bread cubes and leek and mushroom mixture. Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, then pour mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Cover and bake 25-25 minutes, then cook uncovered remaining 10 minutes, until browned. Serve and enjoy!
~Any ideas what the difference between stuffing and bread pudding is?
