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Chef Gina Veneziano Makes Brie Bread Pudding AKA Stuffing

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Stuffing!? I know what you’re thinking, this is the week AFTER Thanksgiving, why do we need a stuffing recipe? Does it help if I tell you that this is my most requested recipe for anything I make? So requested in fact, I made 9 batches of this and delivered to friends and family that we couldn’t be with on Thanksgiving. A holiday tradition I may keep up even once we can return to in-person gatherings!

In case you’ve already made your way through your leftovers but you’re craving more, I will venture to say you may just like this more than a traditional stuffing; more of a “savory bread pudding”, this recipe is rich from the cream but not dense, flavorful from the brie, and filling from the sausage with a hint of brightness from the kale. I realize that I recently did a recipe for kale-sausage soup and guilty as charged, but some ingredients are just meant to be paired together and these are some of my favorites all rolled into one, gooey, great dish, definitely more decadent than the soup. And, for the record, you can certainly make and eat stuffing for Christmas – or even year-round for that matter, as we do in my house since my fiancé loves this recipe so much! (Seriously, I made this in September for his birthday) It pairs perfectly with a Christmas ham, prime rib or a simple roast chicken – the recipe that gives joy all holiday-season long. If you have some leftover cranberry sauce, throw that on top too – the red cranberries on top of the green and white stuffing will transition you perfectly into holiday mode. Enjoy!

Brie Bread Pudding

Prep Time: 45 min

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ONION, DICED
  • 1 POUND. LOOSE SAUSAGE
  • 2 TABLESPOONS GARLIC, MINCED
  • 1 HEAD KALE, RIBS REMOVED TORN INTO MEDIUM-SIZED PIECES
  • 1 LOAF CRUSTY BREAD, SOMEWHAT STALE, CUT INTO 1-INCH PIECES
  • 1 WHEEL BRIE CHEESE
  • 4 EGGS
  • 1.5 CUPS MILK
  • 1.5 CUPS HEAVY CREAM
  • PINCH SALT + PEPPER

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Sauté onions in a bit of oil in a large pan, until tender, approx. 3-5 minutes
  3. Add sausage and brown in the pan, breaking into pieces as browning
  4. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes, stirring to mix together ingredients
  5. Once the sausage is mostly browned, mix in kale pieces. Once kale is wilted, remove from heat, let cool slightly
  6. Fold bread into meat/kale mixture, allowing the bread to soak up any liquid in the pan
  7. Transfer mixture into 9×13 oven-safe pan (Even better, if you have a large enough pan that easily goes from stovetop to oven, this can all be made in one pan)
  8. Cut Brie into inch size pieces and place sporadically throughout bread/meat mixture
  9. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, and salt and pepper; pour evenly over bread mixture, let soak for at least 15 mins (or overnight if possible)
  10. Bake for 40-50 minutes, covered

Notes

  • My large Le Creuset braising pan works perfectly for both the stovetop then oven portion, eliminating the need to switch pans. A large Dutch oven would work as well. 
  • This recipe is great to make ahead of time. Assemble everything, simply don’t bake. I often let mine refrigerate overnight, allowing the bread to soak up the egg mixture. Bring to room temperature then bake as directed. Will hold for 2-3 days in the fridge before baking. 
  • If you don’t have either milk or cream, you can also use chicken stock as one of the liquids. The cream is not 100% necessary but it does make it a bit more decadent.

About Chef Gina Veneziano

Chef Gina has spent a lifetime in food – from the butcher shop to food trucks, and catering kitchens to innovation kitchens. She prides herself in being the only person to successfully recreate her grandmother’s famous meatballs. You can usually catch her, apron on, and a glass of prosecco in hand – cheers!

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