Friday, September 12, 2014

Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding

A few weeks ago I had a killer bread pudding at a local restaurant and I have been wanting to duplicate it ever since. Here is the result. What I love about this dish is that is can be for any meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, whenever! I used homemade french bread for the cubes, but you could also use a nice multigrain bread as well for more texture. Just don't use wonderbread and it will be great. My husband LOVED this. And as always, the best part was how easy it was!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • Cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 ounces ham, minced
  • large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 teaspoons sour cream, optional
  • Preparation
  • 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  • 2. Place bread cubes on a jelly-roll pan; coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, turning once. Remove from oven; set aside.
  • 3. Combine 1/2 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons onions, and next 5 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl. Mix in bread cubes.
  • 4. Spoon about 1 cup bread mixture into each of 4 (7-ounce) ramekins coated with cooking spray. Divide the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon onions evenly among ramekins. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream, if desired.