Name: Savory Broccoli Bread Pudding Casserole
Ingredients: 6 cups 1 inch cubes Italian bread; 10 oz pkg broccoli florets, coarsely chopped; 4 oz sliced ham, coarsely chopped; 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped; 4 scallions, sliced; 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend; 6 large eggs; 2 cups milk; ¼ tsp each dried thyme, salt and pepper

Why it works: Pepper and thyme are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,585 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Savory Broccoli Bread Pudding Casserole

Oven350°F

Time60 minutes

Ingredients

6 cups 1 inch cubes Italian bread
10 oz pkg broccoli florets, coarsely chopped
4 oz sliced ham, coarsely chopped
12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
¼ tsp each dried thyme, salt and pepper

Directions

Prepare

Coat a shallow baking dish with nonstick spray.
Spread half the bread cubes over the bottom.
Cover with half the broccoli, ham, peppers, scallions and cheese.
Repeat the layers once.

Make the custard

Whisk the egg, milk, thyme, salt and pepper to blend.
Pour over the top.
Cover with foil and refrigerate 2 hours.

Bake and serve

Heat oven to 350°F.
Bake covered 60 minutes.
Uncover and bake 5 minutes or until done.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1055Calories

61 gProtein

30 gFat

134 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 11 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Ham	100g cooked	145
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,585 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Broccoli + thymetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together294 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,130 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Bread + hamtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,536 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Broccoli + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,747 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Italian bread: Soaks up the egg custard and forms the soft, pudding-like body of the dish.
Eggs: Set when baked, binding the bread, vegetables and cheese into a sliceable custard.
Milk: Hydrates the eggs and bread, keeping the custard moist as it bakes.
Shredded italian cheese blend: Melts into the custard and adds fat, flavor and savory richness.
Broccoli florets: Adds vegetable bulk and a slightly firm texture that contrasts the soft custard.

The step that matters

Let the dish rest under refrigeration before baking. The 2-hour chill lets the bread absorb the egg and milk mixture evenly, so the pudding bakes uniformly rather than leaving dry bread pockets or a soggy base.

Swap the broccoli

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, ham, pepper, cheese, egg, milk, thyme):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Potatofits better
Broccolithe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, ham, pepper, cheese, egg, milk, thyme. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Brown Bread461 recipes

Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes

White Bread80 recipes

Bread Omelette60 recipes

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Savory Broccoli Bread Pudding Casserole