Savory sausage bread pudding muffins

Savory sausage bread pudding muffins: a fun riff on the traditional breakfast casserole, perfect for feeding a brunch crowd.

I love it when the stars seem to align -- that is, when my real life dovetails perfectly with my blogging life. How so? Katie of Healthy Seasonal Recipes asked me to take part in her spring entertaining giveaway on the very same day that my BFF sent me a recipe for a savory bread pudding that she thought I would like.

Booyah.

Spring entertaining made me think immediately of Easter brunch and, I swear, there is nothing better (or easier) for feeding a brunch crowd than a breakfast casserole. And it seemed to me that this savory bread pudding was just begging to be made into cute single-serving muffins.

(So, should we be even cuter? Should bread pudding muffins henceforth be known as "puffins"? No, I don't think so either.)

Therefore, you can see why I called it an alignment of the stars. 

In my quest to make my recipes more stealthily healthy, I cut way back on the whole-fat dairy in this bread pudding -- and you won't miss it: it's still rich and filling with lots of cheesy flavor. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the sausage and double up on the amount of bell pepper (a combination of red and green looks smashing).

 Here a couple of tips for making these bread pudding muffins:

• Use the deepest muffin tin / cups you can find. I used a 6-place "giant" muffin tin (like this one) that makes muffins about 2-3 times the size of regular muffins (they're more meal-sized), and it accommodated the bread layers nicely.
• If you only have a standard size muffin tin, cut slightly thinner bread slices or only include one layer in each cup.
• If you want to make it really easy on yourself, bake the recipe as a casserole in an 8" x 11" or similarly-sized casserole dish.

Now, back to spring entertaining. As part of these themed posts, Katie has alos organized an awesome giveaway with such a great prize for all you foodie types. One winner will receive all of the following (see the photo collage in the giveaway widget):

• From Vermont Creamery: A taste of Vermont Creamery Gift Package and In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen Cookbook
• From JK Adams: A gorgeous set of Coupe Appetizer Plates (2 pieces)
• From Calivirgin: One 8.45-ounce bottle of roasted garlic olive oil, one 8.45-ounce bottle of rosemary infused olive oil and one 8.45-ounce bottle balsamic vinegar
• From Effie's Homemade: 10 packages of crackers (2 oat, 2 corn, 2 nut, 2 cocoa, 2 rye) -- I can't say enough good things about these crackers -- they are so good and totally addictive!

Enter to win this spring entertaining package in the widget following the bread pudding recipe. And be sure to check out all the spring entertaining recipes from the other amazingly talented bloggers participating in this giveaway:

• Katie of Healthy Seasonal Recipes
• Eva of Adventures in Cooking
• Nik of A Brown Table
• Carrie of Bakeaholic Mama
• Christine of Cooking with Cakes
• Liz of The Lemon Bowl
• Kelley of Mountain Mama Cooks
• Brandy of Nutmeg Nanny
• Chris of Shared Appetite
• Bill of Southern Boy Dishes

Are you a fan of savory breakfast casseroles for feeding a crowd? Have a favorite? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to hear about it!

Savory Sausage Bread Pudding Muffins

(adapted from Bon Appetit)
As written, this recipe yields 6 "giant-sized" muffins or 12-14 regular-sized muffins. The recipe made also be made in an 8 x 11 casserole dish.


Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 oz) skim milk
1 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, thyme or combination of both
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 of one large red bell pepper, diced or thinly sliced
8 oz of a French baquette (about half of one baguette) or other firm bread, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 cup grated Fontina, Gruyere or mild cheddar cheese

Directions:
Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in a large glass measuring cup (this makes it easier to divide later) or bowl.

Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned (about 5-6 minutes), stirring to crumble. Remove from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the red pepper about 5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Combine the peppers and the sausage.

To assemble the muffins, place one slice of bread (trim to fit, if necessary) in the bottom of each cup. Divide half the egg mixture evenly among the cups (be sure to spoon up some of the onion, herbs and cheese as well). Sprinkle half the Fontina (or other) cheese evenly among the cups and top with half the sausage mixture. Repeat the layering one more time (you may need to press everything down with your hands a bit to get it to fit).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Let the muffins stand for about 20 minutes, pushing down on each occasionally to ensure that the bread absorbs as much egg mixture as possible. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the sausage on top begins to crisp and brown.

Remove from pan to cool slightly and serve.

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