Until this week I was unaware that bread pudding could be anything but a warm, amazing dessert that includes some variation of bananas, apples, currants, caramel and white or dark chocolate. But now there’s new territory to explore. As our first exploration into bread pudding possibilities, we found scrumptious results that eliminated any skepticism or worry about a breadular mismatch at the dinner table.

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Simply in Season
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
8 cups day-old rosemary or french bread, chopped into 1-inch cubes

Directions
Preheat oven to 400
1. Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven for about 12 minutes until tender. Remove and turn oven down to 350.
2. While squash is in the oven, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, sautee onions until soft then add garlic for another minute or so. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in squash, onion and garlic mixture.
4. Add bread to bowl and stir gently to combine so bread is coated. Let soak for 10 minutes. Spoon bread mixture into 8×8 glass, or 9 inch round, baking dish.
5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan on top and bake for about 45 minutes, until custard is set and top is browned.

Voila!