Mushroom and Kale Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is often thought of as a comforting dessert, but it also makes a versatile side dish or brunch item. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Renee from Sweetsugarbean.
Prep Time: 20 mins. | Cook Time: 1 hr. | Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

200 grams bacon, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
225 grams mushrooms, sliced (I used portabella and button)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups baby kale
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups stale bread (I used French loaf), sliced into 1 inch cubes
1 cup smoked cheddar, or aged cheddar, grated
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon onto a paper towel lined plate, reserving bacon fat in frying pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic.
3. Cook 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and rosemary and cook until mushrooms release all of their liquid. Stir in baby kale and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the sliced bread and grated cheese. Add the mushroom mixture and cooked bacon to this. Stir well. Season with a little more salt and pepper. Place this into a greased 9×13 baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
5. Pour this mixture over the bread, squishing it down a little. Let stand 10 minutes before baking.
6. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until golden brown and eggs are set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.