Savory Leek Bread Pudding

Thank you for all the Christmas wishes! I do hope everyone had a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday!

My day after Christmas started with a delicious breakfast and a 5 1/2 mile run/walk on the treadmill — I warmed up walking 1/4 mile, ran 3, walked 1/4 mile, ran 1 1/2, and cooled down walking 1/2 mile. Felt good!

We are off to do some gift returns, but I wanted to post a recipe we tried the week before Christmas. It’s on the lighter side and very good!

Savory Leek Bread Pudding adapted from “Ad Hoc At Home” and Eats Well with Others

3-4 cups leeks (about 3), cut 1/2-inch thick, white and light green parts only
Kosher salt, to taste
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
freshly ground black pepper
12 cups (about a 1lb 8 ounce loaf) multi-grain bread
1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh chive leaves
3 large eggs
6 cups almond skim cow’s milk
freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Emmenthaler or 10 ounces (~10 slices) reduced-fat Swiss cheese

Directions:

Place a medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  Drain excess water from leeks and add to pan.  Season with salt and saute until leeks begin to soften, about five minutes.  Reduce heat to medium low. Stir in butter.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 30 minutes.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350.  While leeks are cooking, spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and pale gold, about 20-30 minutes, turning pan about halfway through.  Transfer to a LARGE bowl, leaving the oven on.

Add leeks, chives, and thyme to the bowl with the bread and mix well.  In another large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan.  Top with half of the bread cube mixture.  Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese.  Top with remaining bread. Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese.  Pour in enough milk mixture to cover bread and gently press on bread so that it gets soaked with the milk.  Let rest for 15 minutes.

Add remaining milk mixture, letting some bread cubes protrude.  Sprinkle with salt and remaining cheese.  Bake until pudding is set and top is brown and bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours.  Serve hot. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Information (per serving, about 1 1/3 cups): 201 calories; 2.9 g. fat; 65 mg. cholesterol; 330 mg. sodium; 27.6 g. carbohydrate; 1.8 g. fiber; 9.4 g. sugar; 15 g. protein

Result: This was so tasty! I love bread pudding! My only caution with this recipe is that it makes a TON and it does not reheat well in the microwave. It reheated fine in the oven, but the microwave was no good — it just turned soggy and ick. So make this for a crowd, or cut the recipe in 1/2 or 1/4th. Enjoy!

Question: Do you prefer a savory or sweet bread pudding? And more importantly, did Santa bring you anything good this year? 😉

Happy holidays,