The other day, a dear friend knocked on our door bearing some beautiful veggies from his garden. He’s an avid gardener and grows pretty much anything you can think of! Lucky for us, he’s extremely generous! My “garden envy” does kick in though every time he sends something over. My “garden” consists of a scattering of pots on the deck. I won’t go into why I don’t have a garden…let’s just say I’m hoping my husband reads this. And hoping he might feel inspired to go do some digging out back. And maybe even put a fence around it. That would be nice. End of story.
I’ve been dreaming of this recipe all summer. Especially with all of the zucchini in season. I hoped it would be as good as I imagined…and it is. The bits of veggies surrounded by cheesy cubes of toasty bread and herbs. How can that be bad? This makes such a great side dish! Add any veggies you may have on hand or whatever is in season. It comes together fairly quickly and pretty easily. You can make this ahead of time too!
So, if you have a garden of your own…sigh…go on and harvest the last bits of the season! You finally have a recipe that will use up all of those veggies!
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Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding
1 baguette, day old, cut into 1 – 2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion large dice
2 stalks celery diced
1 red pepper
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
1 eggplant
1 medium zucchini
1 large tomato
2 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and stems discarded
3 1/2 cups non fat milk
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, add 2 T. of the olive oil then the onions, celery, red pepper. Sauté for about two or three minutes then add the mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini. Continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato, garlic and thyme and cook for just another minute. Season with just a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside to cool a bit.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the cubes of bread on a large baking sheet. Drizzle 1 T. (or a bit more if needed) of the olive oil over the cubes. Toss to coat. Toast them up a bit in the oven for about 20 minutes, tossing them every so often. When golden, remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit on the sheet.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs then whisk in the milk, salt pepper and nutmeg.
In your largest casserole dish, butter the bottom and sides a bit and spread the cubes of bread throughout. Add the veggie mixture and pour the egg mixture over the top. Now, sprinkle the Gruyere in and give it all a little toss to get the cubes coated and to spread the love.
At this point, you can cover the dish up with wrap and put it in the fridge for later. Just remember to take the casserole out at least 20 minutes before baking.
If you are ready to bake, place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle on some fresh parsley (and some fresh thyme if you’ve got some left over) and serve!
Notes:
- This bread pudding would make a great holiday side dish! Consider adding cranberries and nuts or whatever seasonal ingredients you can think of!
- If you’re not concerned about keeping this dish vegetarian, it would be delicious with pancetta!
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I’m wondering if the temperature needs to be higher at 375 degrees or cook for an hour. I followed the instructions to bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and the bottom of the dish was still wet, uncooked egg batter.
I’m sorry you had that experience, Joon! There are so many variables, like the temperature of the casserole before going into the oven. If it was refrigerated, it would need to sit out for at least 20 minutes or more before going into the oven. Honestly, even the size of your eggs could contribute, as well as oven fluctuations, casserole size, volume of veggies, etc. I would recommend, if making this again, to check the bottom by sticking a knife or fork in the middle and just separating gently to make sure it’s cooked through. Increasing temp or baking time both could help if it’s not. I’d opt for increased time to avoid burning the top. Hope that helps!
Oh, this sounds yummy! Can’t wait to make it. We have a neighbor down the street that shares his extra veggies from his garden too. Also looking forward to making the Chicken Coq A Vin.
That’s a sweet neighbor, Tami! I’m so glad you are going to try this and the coq au vin! I’d love to hear how you liked them. Thanks so much for stopping in! :)
It’s taking quite a while for the inside to set up and I am wondering if I have my expectations in the wrong place. I am imagining the texture to be kind of like stuffing, so it is soft, but no actual liquid. Is a bread pudding supposed to be really really soft — almost liquidy — or more like a traditional US thanksgiving stuffing soft?
Sounds like it’s actually just right, Anne! Yes, the texture of bread pudding is supposed to be creamy inside, unlike stuffing. I hope that helps!
Yep! Sure does. Also, just a note that making sure the center has boiled is a good way to ensure the egg mixture has actually cooked.
Could you make this dish with almond milk or something else non-dairy?
I’ve never tested this with non dairy milk, Hallie, but I’m sure regular almond milk or any unflavored non-dairy milk would work wonderfully. If you have a chance to try it, I’d love to hear how you like it!
Each attempt I have made to grow vegetables has been in vain. I am sure vegetable karma will get me! This recipe looks great! I have quite a lot of carrots and broccoli on hand. Would they be good in this dish?
Well, glad to know I’m in good company, Patricia! ;) I’m so glad you’re going to give this a try and I love that you are using the veggies you have on hand. That’s what I do too! I think the carrots and broccoli would both be delicious! Just be sure to cut them up small enough to cook through. Let me know how you like it!
Have made for Thanksgiving using a red, yellow, green, & orange pepper,
plus zucchini & yellow squash and a red onion. It’s pretty beautiful. Wish
I’d read your recipe first and I’d have added the eggplant. Fresh cremini
mushrooms added a lot of flavor. Combo of nutmeg & gruyere reminds
me of cheese fondue. Delicious.
I bet that looks beautiful, Dixie! I love that you used cremini mushrooms! I’ll have to add those next time I make this! I know exactly what you mean about that fondue flavor…and I LOVE that too! Have a wonderful, healthy and happy Thanksgiving and thank you for your sweet message! :)
I Cannot WAIT to make this for the holidays!!! It looks fantastic! Thank you! :)
I so glad you’ll be making this Nancy! I hope you and your family love it…and have a wonderful holiday!
Unbelievable! This is absolutely stunning (gorgeous photos, as usual!!!) and sounds amazing – like, make-a-special-trip-to-the-store-so-I-can-eat-this-immediately amazing! I used to have a garden, and my little ones and I would start seeds in the house, watch the magical process of sprouting, planting, growing … and then sadly not much else (because we really don’t get enough sun on our garden plot). I’m with you now – pots of herbs and a few tomatoes on the deck. And the bounty of my local farmers’ markets … yeah – I’ll have no problem rounding up the ingredients to make this ASAP. Fantastic post, Caroline – really, really fantastic!
Awww, Shelley, thank you so much! I’m so flattered! Yeah, I’ve basically got the black-thumb-of-death when it comes to growing plants. But, (unfortunately for any poor plant that comes into my care) I still insist that I could grow a wonderful garden. My husband does not share that point of view. ;)
This casserole looks amazing!
Oh, I’m so glad you like it Lori! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
I think this is probably the prettiest bread pudding I’ve ever seen, and I love how it’s completely full of garden goodies. You’re right, I think it would be a lovely addition to a holiday feast as well! Say goodbye to boring stuffing! :)
Faith, you are the sweetest! I can’t tell you how flattered I am! I have to say…I am crazy for stuffing…but the cheesiness of this makes me really happy!