Mushroom and Broccoli Bread Pudding

I'm always pushing myself to try new things. Sometimes those new things are old things, such as this 70s vegetarian recipe from my charity-shop One-Pot book. I was looking for something to use up a massive $1 broccoli we'd bought, and after looking up recipes in the index, I found this one. I recoiled immediately at just the name - 'Cheddar and Broccoli Bread Pudding' - but then I figured, if it's something I'd usually never cook... now would be a good time to try. So I followed the instructions, and hey - it really wasn't bad! It tastes a little too much like the sum of its parts, so if anyone has some ideas on how to fix that, comment below. I think some herbs would be a start, but here's the recipe in its original bland glory:

Ingredients

• an onion
• 225g mushrooms
• 450g broccoli
• 340g wholemeal bread - about 8 slices
• 125g mature Cheddar (half the original!!)
• 3 eggs
• 285ml milk
• 2 tomaotes

Peel and finely chop the onion, then soften in some butter or olive oil in a large lidded frying pan. Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms and cut the broccoli into small florets. Add the mushrooms to the onions, toss and cook for a further two minutes, then add the broccoli, season well, cover and steam for five minutes - don't be tempted to lift the lid or the water from the mushrooms will escape.

Preheat the oven to 190 C and lightly butter a large baking dish. Slice the bread very thinly, and remove the crusts if they are tough. Line the dish with half of the bread, then spoon half of the broccoli mixture in, then half of the cheddar. Whisk the eggs with the milk and pour half into the dish. Add further layers of bread, broccoli, Cheddar and egg, then very thinly slice the tomatoes and place the slices on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes. Serve with a mixed, well-dressed salad.