Savory Squash Bread Pudding {Swoon}

I certainly hope, for your sake, that you have a small to medium butternut squash still hanging out in your cold cellar or storage area because this recipe is delicious.  And this is obviously an exception to me cutting back on eggs and dairy.  Obviously.

Roasted, is one of my favorite ways to eat squash and this is another great recipe that helps use up some of your bread crusts (heels of the loaf), too. It;s also hardy enough to be the main dish, just add a green veggie or salad on the side and you're ready to go.  The original recipe called for cubed, day old french bread, but I used whole wheat bread crusts and it worked out great.  You are saving them and not throwing them away, right??

Savory Squash Bread Pudding (adapted from Simply In Season)
Serves 4-6

3-4 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 cubes
cooking spray
1 tbsp. butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
9 cups cubed whole wheat bread (I used crusts I had thawed from the freezer)

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the cubed butternut squash in a single layer on the sheet.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until a knife inserted into the cubes glides in easily (about 10-15 minutes).  In the meantime, saute the onion and garlic in the butter or oil until tender and set aside.  In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix together using a fork.  In a large bowl, combine the roasted squash, the bread cubes, the onion and garlic and the egg mixture, stirring to combine.  Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with more parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the custard has set and the top is nicely browned. Pin It