Best Midwestern Spinach Cheese Savoury Bread Pudding Recipes

SPINACH & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
• Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
• Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.

MIDWESTERN SPINACH & CHEESE SAVOURY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Sautee onions and garlic in oil in small pan until soft but not browned. Set aside to cool.
• In large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat eggs, milk, cream, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until blended.
• With rubber spatula, stir in spinach, cheese, onion/garlic mixture and bread.
• Pour mixture into 13" by 9" ceramic or glass baking dish (do NOT use metal pans for ANY bread pudding as they can easily pick up a metallic flavor).
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top of the pudding mixture.
• Bake bread pudding 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and puffed and knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove bread pudding from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread and discard. Cut remaining bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups loosely packed). Place cubes in very large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat. Spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return toasted bread cubes to same very large bowl.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and bell pepper. sauté until soft and juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables and parsley to bread cubes.
• Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, and ground pepper in large bowl. Mix custard into bread and vegetables. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Sprinkle cheese over. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing uncovered until set and top is golden, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8X8 pan.
• Whisk egg with milk, salt and pepper.
• Toss with the bread and set aside.
• Thaw and squeeze water out of spinach.
• In skillet, heat oil- and add onion and red pepper.
• Saute for about 5 minutes, then add mushrooms and garlic.
• Lower heat so garlic doesn't burn.
• Continue to saute for about 5 minutes.
• Add spinach and mix well and let cook about 5 minutes to remove any reamining moisture.
• Add the vegetables and 1/2 cup cheese to the egg/bread and toss well.
• Pour into prepared pan and top with 1/2 cup cheese.
• Bake at 350 for 50 minutes- then check to see if the center is set. Continue in 10 minute increments until set.
• (see above on optional water bath).