Savoury Bread Pudding

 

One pan dinners are pure bliss. Part of that joy, often means less prep and just a wee bit of cleanup. A flavourful and exquisite meal can be made by using a few basic kitchen staples such as eggs, butter, milk/cream, cheese and bread. A savoury bread pudding has all the comfort and spongy eggy goodness you would expect from such a substantial stodgy dish.

Savoury Bread Pudding

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3 - 4 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

4 - 6 cups cubed bread

2 tablespoons herbs de Provence

1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese

6 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

cherry tomatoes

extra cheese 

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and spinach until onion is just soft. Add the herbs de Provence to the oily vegetable mixture and toss to coat.

Toss the bread cubes in the olive oil, onion, garlic, spinach and herb mixture as best you can, not every piece needs to be coated. Place in a well oiled deep sided 9 x 13 inch rectangle baking dish. Toss with half of the cheese. 

Beat together the eggs, cream and milk. Add the paprika and a dash of salt and pepper and whisk together. Pour over the bread in the baking dish. Randomly place cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for about an hour, or until browned and the cheese has melted, a knife inserted into the centre should come out clean. Place fresh springs of rosemary on top before serving. Serve with a side of lightly steamed green beans. 

Notes: Fresh spinach can be used instead of frozen spinach.