I love bread pudding. It is my idea of a soothing comfort food–right up there alongside refried beans and candy corn. That said, I guess it’s pretty clear that carbs whisper sweet nothings in my ear when the pressure’s on in my life .
While I have many fond memories of eating bread pudding over the years, two recipes in particular stand out in my memory–a decadent whiskey-sauced bread pudding I learned to make at a cooking school in New Orleans and an Indian version (Shahi Turka) made with almonds and saffron that we devoured every night during a wonderful stay in New Delhi.
Over the years, however, I’ve learned that there is another kind of bread pudding, a savory one, that rivals its sweet cousins in the wonderfulness department. ( Yes, Virginia. Wonderfulness is a real word according to Merriam Webster.)This is a post about one of those savory delights, a bread pudding that features leeks sautéed in butter and bits of butternut squash suspended in a creamy gruyere-flavored custard. Are you drooling yet?
This beautiful casserole would be a perfect dish to serve at an elegant breakfast or brunch. It also would be excellent served as a main dish any night of the week. Just pair it with a green salad and you have a satisfying meal.
Here is a link to the original recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Bread Pudding with Gruyere
Yields 8 Servings
An elegant savory bread pudding made with leeks and butternut squash cubes.
30 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
1 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound day-old French baguette cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 T. unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 C. whole milk
- 1 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
- 1/8 t. freshly-ground nutmeg
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice)
- 1/4 C. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 leek (white and light green parts only) halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch cubes
- 3 C. baby spinach
- 1 C. shredded gruyere cheese
- 1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Butter a large 2-quart baking dish.
- Mix eggs, milk, cream and nutmeg in a medium bowl to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cut baguette into 1-inch cubes. Add bread cubes to the milk/cream mixture stirring well to combine. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to give the bread cubes an opportunity to absorb the custard mixture.
- Cut off an inch or so on each end of the squash and then cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and strings from the inside of the squash and brush the squash generously with olive oil. Salt and pepper the squash and bake in a 400 degree F. oven until it is tender. This takes about 20 minutes. Test the squash for doneness and, when done, remove from the oven and cool. When the squash is cool, peel it and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
- Wash leek in cold water and trim off the tough green stem. You will only be working with the light green and white parts of the leek. Cut the leek into thin slices and soak in a bowl of cold water to remove any residual sand. Lift leeks out of water, drain and pat dry.
- Wash spinach, drain and pat dry.
- Melt butter in a large pan and sauté the leeks until they are tender (about 5 minutes). Add the spinach to the leeks and cook only until the spinach begins to wilt. Add this leek-spinach mixture to the bowl of bread cubes. Add the roasted squash, gruyere cheese and 1/4 C. grated parmesan. Mix well with your hands.
- Pour the pudding into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1/4 C. parmesan cheese. Bake in 400 degree F. oven for approximately 40 minutes. The pudding will be set and the bread cubes will have golden brown edges when the pudding is done.
- Remove from oven and set on your counter for a few minutes. Serve hot.
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