Savory Bread Pudding with Tomatoes and Basil

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup packed, chopped fresh basil
• 1 ½ cups freshly grated Romano cheese
• Custard:
• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

Step 1

Warm your oven to 375°F (190°C) and greasing a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Toss the bread cubes into the dish and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm up some olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic, stirring constantly until they smell amazing—about a minute. Then, stir in the tomatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook just until they soften a bit, around 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and mix in the fresh basil. Pour this tomato mixture over the bread, sprinkle with Romano cheese, and give everything a good stir so it’s all nicely combined.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth. Pour this custard over the bread and tomato mix, gently tossing everything so the bread soaks it up evenly.

Step 3

Pop the dish into the oven on the center rack and bake until it’s puffed up and golden—this usually takes about 24 to 30 minutes. Once it’s done, let it cool for about five minutes before cutting into wedges and digging in.