Savory bread pudding

Now that October's here it's time to start breaking out the fall comfort foods and casseroles! This savory bread pudding certainly fits the bill. It's warm and hearty. This is really similar to egg breakfast casseroles with sausage but we've made a few swaps and additions to turn this into a supper dish.

My mom recently shared with me one of her delicious sourdough loaves and I thought this would be the perfect thing to try with it. The recipe took about half of the loaf (and then I made French toast with the other half, yum). This dish combines lots of our favorites foods - the sourdough bread, sweet Italian sausage, and arugula. Hope you try it and enjoy it!

Arugula & Sausage Savory bread pudding inspiration from Eating Well
   Serves 6 | Active Time 30 minutes | Total Time 1 3/4 hours
Ingredients
   For the custard
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
   For the seasonings
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
   For the filling
4 cups whole-grain bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups chopped arugula, wilted
3/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts, canned
1 cup diced cooked sweet Italian sausage
   For the topping
3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

Directions
   Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish or a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   To prepare custard: Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add mustard, salt, pepper and basil; whisk to combine.
   Toss bread, arugula, artichokes and sausage in a large bowl.

Add the custard and toss well to coat.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish and push down to compact. Cover with foil.

   Bake until the custard has set, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.