Kale Mushroom Bread Pudding has bread, it’s savory and it’s pudding(ish)! It could easily be a HEALTHY vegan dish the whole fam-damily will to grow love. (Well, at least the grown ups.)
Holiday food is all about comforting carbs, fresh herbs and rich, creamy textures. What could be more comforting than a big helping of savory bread pudding? (Definitely not those weird molded salads of my childhood!)
Check out some of my other holiday favorites: Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, Vegan Porcini Mushroom Gravy, Vegan Cheesy Potato Casserole, Healthy Twice-Baked Potatoes, Almond Ricotta, Easy Vegan Collard Greens, Instant Pot Collard Greens, Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Oil Free Citrus Dressing and Healthy Brownies with Peppermint Frosting.
How to Make a Healthy, Vegan Savory Bread Pudding
This kale mushroom bread pudding recipe is made with no oil or dairy—not even a pat of vegan butter! But you get all the rich and creamy texture you’d hope for in a comfort food from cashews, plant milk, nutritional yeast and a bit of ground flaxseed to help firm things up.
The hearty, healthy kale, earthy shitake and cremini mushrooms, and fresh rosemary blend together in a harmonious trio in this dish. And if you can nab a great loaf of rustic bread (I personally LOVE a light rye with caraway seeds in this recipe), it can really take this kale mushroom bread pudding to the next level.
How to Eat Vegan Over the Holidays
If you’re an HMG regular, you’ll notice I’ve been cranking out one holiday dish after another lately. I get how hard it can be for vegans at this time of year—having to pass up traditional holiday favorites, bring your own food to myriad gatherings, and the gut wrenching guilt of not eating your mama’s cooking!
Sometimes our friends and families can’t quite wrap their heads around the fact that we’re not about to abandon our values just because it’s a holiday.
My hope is to create holiday recipes that might just become new family favorites. Food like this kale mushroom bread pudding that’s SO yummy and comforting, no one will even know (or care) that it’s vegan.
Food that brings everyone together, because especially at the holidays, isn’t that what food is supposed to do?
Inspired by--but a whole lot healthier than--Ina Garten's Mushroom Leek Bread Pudding.
If you like this whole food plant-based recipe, you might also like:
📖 Recipe
Kale Mushroom Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 5 cups rustic bread, 1 inch cubed (about ½ loaf. I really like rye bread for this recipe)
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup cashew pieces soaked (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup diced shallot (about 1 medium shallot)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 bunch kale chopped (about ½ pound)
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced (I like a blend of shitakes and creminis)
Instructions
- Cube your bread first, then spread the cubes out on your cutting board so they get a bit stale while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Next, prepare the 'batter.' In a blender, combine the soaked cashew pieces, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice and salt. Blend until creamy. Add the flax seed and blend just a few seconds to mix in. Allow the batter to rest in the blender at room temperature while you saute the kale and mushrooms.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of water over medium heat. Add the shallots a pinch of salt, and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the rosemary and saute another 1-2 minutes, until the shallots are soft. Add water a tablespoon at a time if things begin to stick.
- Add the mushrooms, stir, and cook until they begin to release their liquid and get soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the kale, stir, well, and cook uncovered 2-3 minutes. Cook covered another 3-5 minutes or more until the kale is tender and not bitter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes, kale/mushroom mixture, and batter from the blender. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir well, and allow to rest 15 minutes, or until the bread has soaked up some of the batter.
- Spoon the mixture into a baking dish, and bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes or until heated through. Don't overcook or the pudding will dry out.
Jerry Parness
We switched out wild rice for the bread, which added beautifully to the earthiness of the recipe. Loved this, and will make it again. Thank you.
Elizabeth Shah
That sounds fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for your comment and rating. <3
karry
Great recipe. We really enjoyed it.
Elizabeth Shah
Wonderful, thank you!