Tart Cherry & Vegetable Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 pound parsnips (about 4 medium)
1 medium butternut squash
1 large leek
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅔ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Ground black pepper to taste
5 cups (½-inch) cubes whole wheat bread
1 ½ cups dried tart cherries, such as Montmorency
5 large eggs
2 cups lowfat (1%) milk
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8 ounces Cabot Lite50 Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 425ºF.

LINE baking sheet with foil or parchment; coat lightly with cooking spray. Peel and slice parsnips and spread out on sheet.

PEEL squash and halve lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place hollow-side-down in shallow baking dish and add about ½ inch water.

BAKE parsnips and squash for 25 to 30 minutes or until just tender. Meanwhile, trim top and base of leek and pull off any tough outer leaves. Slice thinly crosswise; rinse incolander to remove any sandy grit, draining well. Chop onion.

HEAT oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add leeks and onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth, rosemary, marjoram and pepper. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until liquid is very reduced.
TRANSFER leek-onion mixture to large bowl. Mix in bread cubes and cherries.
When parsnips and squash are baked, remove from oven and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400ºF. Cut squash into bite-size pieces; add along with parsnips to bread mixture and toss together.

WHISK eggs in another bowl until frothy. Whisk in milk and nutmeg.

SPREAD half of bread mixture in large baking dish; top with half of cheese. Add remaining bread mixture followed by remaining cheese. Pour milk mixture evenly over the top. Press down gently on top to make even, then cover baking dish with foil.

BAKE for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until lightly browned on top.

Recipe courtesy of Kat, Eating The Week.