Bookmark This Savory Bread Pudding for Thanksgiving
We made a few adaptations of the beloved Ina Garten mushroom and leek bread pudding recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. If Ina Garten tells us to serve a mushroom and leek bread pudding instead of stuffing on Thanksgiving (and/or as a cozy breakfast) we don't argue. We have more great leek, mushroom, and Thanksgiving dishes for you – there’s Leek Soup, Wild Mushroom Galette, 20 Best Mushroom Recipes, and our best Thanksgiving Side Dishes. And for another yummy make-ahead mushroom brunch idea, try our spinach mushroom strata.
More leftover or day old or frozen bread recipes
Ingredients For This Easy Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding
Bread – A rustic country loaf of bread
Fat – Olive oil, butter AND pancetta. Because this isn’t just any old savory bread pudding, it’s an Ina Garten savory bread pudding.
Alliums – Leeks and a yellow onion. Cremini mushrooms are perfect here, but you could mix in some wild mushrooms, too, if you want to mix things up.
Herbs – Fresh tarragon and parsley.
Sherry – Dry or medium dry, but no need to spring for anything too fancy.
Custard – eggs, heavy cream & stock.
Cheese – It’s true—real Gruyère from Switzerland is not cheap. But a little goes a long way! And there’s just no substitute for Gruyère’s salty, nutty flavor and its dreamy way of melting. Spring for it, if you can. If you’re feeling pinched, try buying a very small piece of Gruyère and combining it with a less-expensive Swiss cheese. That way you’ll still get some of Gruyère’s gorgeous flavor without skimping on the cheese.
How to Make Bread Pudding with Mushrooms, Leeks and Gruyère
Cut the bread. Cut a loaf of bread into cubes, and bake until the bread cubes are dried out and crispy (but very much not burnt).
Cook the mushroom and leeks. Sauté leeks, yellow onion and pancetta in oil and butter for a bit to soften, then dramatically deglaze the pan with sherry—deglazing always feels a little dramatic, right? All that steam! Or maybe that’s just us?—add the tarragon and mushrooms.
Make the custard. Whisk together the cream, eggs, stock and Gruyère to make the custardy liquid that will give the bread pudding its luxurious texture.
Assemble! Grab your biggest bowl and carefully stir the toasted bread, cream-egg mixture and the mushroom-leek-pancetta mixture. Let it sit for a bit, so the bread soaks up all of that flavorful goodness.
Bake! Spread the mushroom and leek bread pudding mixture into a baking dish, top with more cheese (of course!) and bake.
How to Store Homemade Mushroom Bread Pudding + Tips
Make it vegetarian – Just add a smidge more olive oil (or butter) when you sauté the onions and leeks to make up for the lost pancetta fat, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock to make this mushroom bread pudding vegetarian!
Can you freeze bread pudding? We usually just make ahead one day in advance and let it sit in the fridge until it’s time to bake, but yes, if you’d like to, you can freeze bread pudding. We’d suggest baking it first, let the mushroom and leek bread pudding cool completely, then wrap it tightly and freeze it. Reheat in a 350º F oven until it is warmed through.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More Leek & Mushroom Goodness From The Modern Proper
Other Thanksgiving Sides (That Are Delicious Year Round)
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