Single Serving Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

This is the kind of thing you feel very proud of yourself for making.

Savory bread pudding just feels so fancy and innovative. It’s the stuff of primetime Food Network shows and those swanky restaurants with hefty price tags (like a $$$$ on Yelp kind of thing) that reserve a meal there for birthdays or other life events. Absolutely not something for a lazy morning when you want something easy yet incredibly nutritious, you’re cooking for one and the last thing you want to do is put on pants.

But that all changes today.

In terms of vegetables/add-ins, you can pretty much use whatever you want. Some epic combination of caramelized onions and roasted brussels sprouts? Perfect. Meat? Meatless meat? Do it. Any random vegetable you happen to have on hand? Awesome.

I believe bread pudding is the ideal canvas to create a deeply personal expression of your culinary soul. Or, at the very least, a deeply personal expression of the ingredients you forgot you bought and now need to use in something before they go bad. I am never not in this position and I got your back.

I take comfort in the belief that lists solve everything, even though I know this is thoroughly false. I strut into Trader Joe’s with my shopping list like I’m queen of the grocery world, but I know I must not test my resolve, for then I risk straying from the calculated beauty of my list.

I quickly scurry past the produce section with my eyes fixed on the ground because I know exactly what will happen— whatever unfortunate vegetable I spontaneously and impulsively select will inevitably be doomed to an unfruitful (ha) life and unjust death in the back of my refrigerator.

My intentions are excellent. I will buy fresh vegetables and cook them and eat them and definitely not forget about them because I am an adult and that is what adults do.

Other than my carefully planned Foodie recipe testing schedule (I do eat vegetables, I promise), if I buy produce without deciding ahead what I’m going to do with it, there is an estimated 103% chance that it will never be seen again… until I open up my crisper drawer (by accident) a week and a half later while looking for something I was actually planning to use. Whoops.

Let’s distract from the situation by putting cheese on top of this bread pudding. Ooh, it’s melty. What were we talking about?

Hi, I’m Kelly, and I’m a cheese addict. I definitely will not seek help or, frankly, make any effort to change, but maybe my cheese dependency is something I should at least acknowledge when reflecting on my food-related life choices.

But I have no regrets.

Nutritional Breakdown

Calories

1 egg white (25) + 2 slices Great Low Carb Bread (120) + 2 tablespoons almond milk (4) + 1/3 cup chopped onion (22) + 1 cup chopped broccoli (16) + 1 cup spinach (7) + 1/4 cup chopped carrots (13) = 207 calories for the whole darn thing

Net Carbs

1 egg white (0g) + 2 slices Great Low Carb Bread (2g) + 2 tablespoons almond milk (0g) + 1/3 cup chopped onion (5g) + 1 cup chopped broccoli (3g) + 1 cup spinach (0g) + 1/4 cup chopped carrots (2g) = 12g net carbs for the whole darn thing

Protein

1 egg white (6g) + 2 slices Great Low Carb Bread (14g) + 2 tablespoons almond milk (0g) + 1/3 cup chopped onion (0g) + 1 cup chopped broccoli (1g) + 1 cup spinach (1g) + 1/4 cup chopped carrots (0g) = 22g protein for the whole darn thing

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

Save Print

Author: Kelly Morrison

Yield: one HUGE serving

Ingredients

1 egg or egg white*
1-1/2 cups stale bread cubes** (if your bread isn't stale, toast it first)
3 tablespoons broth
2 tablespoons milk or cream of choice
⅓ cup chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 cup finely chopped spinach
¼ cup finely chopped carrot
salt + pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

For oven version:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large mug with cooking spray and set aside.
Heat a greased skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce and cook until the vegetables are all browned and beautiful. Roasted vegetables are one of my very favorite things ever, so when sautéing vegetables in a skillet I am known to cook them into oblivion to get that roasted feel, but just cook them to your liking. The more you know.
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg or egg white, broth, milk or cream, dijon and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add bread cubes and gently stir to combine. Stir in cooked vegetables.
Transfer to the prepared mug. Top with cheese if you’re a cheese addict like me and actually can’t help yourself. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until beautiful and golden brown on top. Devour.

For microwave version:***

Put the vegetables in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for two minutes. Stir in the balsamic and soy sauce. Continue to microwave in thirty second intervals until the vegetables are perfectly cooked— tender but not soggy. Microwaves vary a lot in power, so if your vegetables are already done after the two minutes, then don’t microwave anymore and proceed to the next step.
Meanwhile, add the egg or egg white, broth, milk or cream, dijon and garlic powder to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add bread cubes and gently stir to combine. Stir in cooked vegetables.
Microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Continue to microwave in thirty second intervals until the top is mostly firm. As I state in the notes, the microwave version is not ideal because it doesn’t produce the browned-around-the-edges texture that make bread pudding so lovely, but it get the job done so I wanted to leave it as an option. Devour.

Notes

General note: in terms of vegetables/add-ins, you can pretty much whatever you want. Some epic combination of combination of caramelized onions and roasted brussels sprouts? Perfect. Meat? Meatless meat? Do it. Any random vegetable you happen to have on hand? Awesome. Just bear in mind that you should be aiming for about 1 cup of add-ins (when cooked).
*I'd love to make a vegan version so I really want to say that this works with egg replacer, but I haven't personally tried it and therefore cannot vouch for the results. If you give it a go, I would love to hear how it turns out!
**You can use whatever kind of bread you want-- whole grain, gluten free, etc. I used the sourdough bread from Great Low Carb Bread Company for a low carb version.
***In the dorm spirit of this blog, I give you a microwave version. But proceed with caution. The microwave version is not ideal because it doesn’t produce the browned-around-the-edges texture that make bread pudding so lovely, but it gets the job done so I wanted to leave it as an option if you (like me in a couple months) do not have access to actual appliances.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 207 Net Carbs: 12g Protein: 22g

Other favorite breakfasts:

Low Calorie Cheesy Broccoli Quiche