Butternut Squash, Kale, and Cheddar Bread Pudding

I guess I'm on a Bon Appetit recipe kick right now, so bear with me.  It's just that their recipes seem to never fail, and around the holidays, you may want something that promises to be a sure thing.  I made this one for Thanksgiving ... Meghan made it with some slightly different ingredients for a potluck last year and it was amazing, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I think its incredibly tasty, but if you have picky eaters at your table, it might not be for them...


This recipe is great for a potluck dish or as a dinner side. Yum.

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding
From: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

2 pounds peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)  
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt plus additional for sprinkling
7 large eggs
2 1/4 cups half and half
6 tablespoons dry white whine
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 baguette (with crust), torn into small pieces (about 10 cups)
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)
2 bunches kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, grated

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a rimmed baking dish, toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and some salt.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Fold baguette pieces into mixture and let soak for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat and add chopped shallots.  Saute for about 5 minutes, or until shallots are soft. Add kale and cover for 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook for a few minutes, until kale is mostly wilted but still bright green.  It will still be a bit crunchy/fluffy looking, and just not wilt down entirely like spinach.

4. When squash is finished, reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Butter a 13x9 baking dish and transfer half of the bread mixture to the dish**, spreading it evenly over the pan. Over the bread, spread half of the kale, half of the butternut squash, and sprinkle half of the grated cheese. Repeat.

5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Preheat the broiler and broil dish for a few minutes (2-3) or until cheese browns lightly (the cheese never really browned for mine, and I took it out after about 6 minutes so it wouldn't overcook. It was fine).

**The original recipe says to transfer the bread mixture to the dish using a slotted spoon, which leaves behind the eggy part of the mixture (to later pour over the top of the dish). Maybe because I let the bread soak for a little longer than 30 minutes, but all of my egg mixture had soaked into the bread, leaving none behind. This didn't really change anything. 

Egg/bread mixture: 

Sauteing kale: