Butternut Squash Bread Pudding

One of these days I'll get to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak when visiting the City of Brotherly Love.  For now, though, it's all about finding good vegetarian options.  Cooking in this time, we gave this recipe a try (definitely the one I found most promising here (but more dishes worth taking a look at!)).

The Recipe

2 lbs butternut squash cut into small pieces - about 1-2 medium to large squashes
1 baguette, torn into 1 inch pieces
7 eggs
2 1/4 cups half & half
6 tbsp white wine
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup shallots, chopped - about 4 large
2 bunches kale, stems removed and chopped/torn
8 oz extra sharp cheddar, grated
olive oil, salt

Peel, de-seed and chop your butternut squash, toss with some olive oil and bake at 400 degrees until soft, about 20-30 minutes (stir occasionally).  Meanwhile, whisk together your egg, half & half, wine, mustard, and a little salt, and fold in the bread chunks.  Let this sit about half an hour (yes, stir occasionally).

Catch your breath, then chop your shallots, and wash and prep your kale.  Saute the shallots for a few minutes with some oil in a very large saucepan.  Then add your kale and stir, saute, cover/uncover about 5 minutes until wilting but still bright green.  Oh yeah, and grate your cheese.

Once those four elements are all ready, turn the oven down to 350 and butter a large casserole dish.  Start with a bottom layer that goes (half of the) bread, kale, butternut squash, then cheese; repeat with the second half of each.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook until the inside layers of bread are set - about another 20-30 minutes.  Then put it under the broiler a few minutes for a toasty finish.

The Outcome

You definitely want a team working on this one so you can get the squash and bread elements going at the same time.  We vaguely 1.5'ed everything.  No complaints about the balance; if anything, I'd do it again with a little less bread and more squash and kale.  But it's hard to go wrong when you have a nice chunk on your plate and you can carve out a bite wherever looks good!  And the recipe's cooking time may be on the low side - we waited until the inside was clearly set.  The top was crusty but still juicy; the bottom was a bit further along, but it just tasted like Yorkshire pudding...

That left us with a delicious meal, not to mention one of the most filling vegetarian dishes I've ever had.  The egg-soaked bread on its own gives you plenty of starch and protein, and butternut squash and kale are both hearty ingredients too.

Oh yeah, if vegetarianism isn't your thing (or your fellow diners'), maybe crisp up some bacon before the shallot saute?  Some chicken would go well in there too.