Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

I was really impressed by how this turned out -- puffed and golden, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, rich and tasting of mushrooms and onions and cheese.

I'm sure it would be delicious if made with whole milk or cream and white bread with the crusts cut off, but it tasted pretty spectacular made with what I had on hand -- skim milk and whole-wheat "double protein" sandwich bread (and I didn't cut the crusts off). If I'd thought ahead, stale bread would probably work better as I'd prefer a slightly drier pudding, but YUM.

Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

8 oz. crimini/"baby bella" mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly
1 medium-large onion, diced (about 3 cups)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
5 eggs
2 cups skim milk
8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, cut into cubes of less than an inch
1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Swiss cheese
black pepper
cayenne
salt
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tbsp butter

Grease a 1.8 quart casserole dish with a little of the butter. Heat the rest in a frying pan over medium heat, and saute the onions in it until they have softened and released some of their liquid, about 5 minutes. (Use this time to wash and slice the mushrooms and cut up the bread). Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until the mushrooms have softened, released their liquid, and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, and a couple of dashes of cayenne. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until well blended. Beat in the milk. Add about a half teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of pepper, a couple of dashes of cayenne, and sage; blend. Mix in the bread cubes and then the onions/mushrooms, making sure it's well blended.

Pour into the greased baking dish. Top with the grated cheese. Bake 55-65 minutes, until the top is puffed and well browned.

Serves at least 4.