Garlic and Herb Bread Pudding

swissms's Note:

A savory bread pudding that can be served as a side for soups or grilled meat. Use good bread that is a day old; try rosemary focaccia or sourdough. Published in Cooking Light magazine, October 2001.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato, packed without oil
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 cups cubed Italian bread (1-inch cubes)
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Pour boiling water into a bowl. Place sun-dried tomatoes into the boiling water; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well; finely chop.
3. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook for 1 minuted, stirring constantly. Combine the milk and eggs in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, half of mozzarella cheese, half of Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper.
4. Place bread in a shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Pour milk mixture over bread, gently stirring to coat. Let mixture stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Reviews

[Debbwl]

Have never had a savory bread pudding, but did enjoy the garlicky goodness of this one. While the whole dish is very nice we really felt the sun-dried tomatoes brought it to life. Made as written using day old Portuguese fold bread and the dried basil option. Thanks for the post.