Savory Bread Pudding

When one thinks of bread pudding, the sweet cinnamony twin of my dish comes to mind. I like my muffins, pancakes and waffles for brunch and sometimes, dinner..but a savory bread pudding is an anytime meal! It can be a great brunch for a lazy weekend or a one dish dinner.Ê

What you need

• 4-5 Slices of whole grain bread (I used Trader Joe’s Sprouted grain bread)
• 2 Cups of non-fat milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped olives
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 1 Tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup of 2% mixed shredded cheese
• 1/2 Cup of shaved parmesan cheese

How its done

1. Dice the onions and the bell peppers- the bell pepper dices can be a bit chunky
2. Heat a fry pan and add the olive oil to it. When the oil heats up, add the onions and saute till transparent, add the chopped bell peppers and season lightly with salt and pepper (I say slightly because you will be adding olives and the cheeses that have salt in them- a pinch should be enough), till the peppers are half cooked. Add the olives and turn off the heat. Set aside and let cool.
3. Shred the slices of bread in a bowl. Add the milk. Since this recipe doesn’t have egg, take care that the milk is just enough to really moisten the bread. Too much milk will make the pudding soggy.
4. Add the shredded cheese and the cooled vegetable mixture and mix well.
5. Cover and let sit in the fridge for about 3-4 hours (or overnight, if making for brunch).
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
7. Spray a baking dish with butter flavored spray or regular cooking oil and put the bread mixture in the dish. Top with the parmesan cheese and bake for about 35-40 minutes till you see a crust form on the sides and the cheese is all melty. Switch of the heat and let cool.

Serve warm with your favorite TV series!

This is my contribution to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle for February: