Recipe: Turkey, Spinach and Cheese Bread Pudding (make ahead)

TURKEY, SPINACH AND CHEESE BREAD PUDDING

"The following bread pudding makes good use of leftover roasted turkey (or other leftover meat), and provides ample servings for a party buffet. Cheese studded with chili peppers creates just enough heat to add extra zest and ward off winter chills."

9 cups bread cubes*
2 to 3 teaspoons canola oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3/4 pound cooked turkey breast, 1/2-inch cubes (or other lean meat)
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
3 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk (2 percent)
Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Canola oil spray
6 cups spinach leaves**
1/2 to 3/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese with chili peppers, grated

Diagonally cut baguette crosswise into slices 1 to 1 3/4-inch thick. Cut slices into bread cubes. (There should be 9 to 10 cups.) Allow bread to thoroughly dry out at room temperature or, spread on baking sheets, in a preheated 250 degree F oven. Turn bread cubes midway through the process so both sides are exposed to air. If dried in the oven, set bread cubes aside to cool.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. (Reduce heat if necessary to prevent browning.) With a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a bowl. Add turkey to pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer turkey to bowl of onions and mix in until well blended; set aside.

Whisk eggs and egg whites in a large bowl until thoroughly blended. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

Lightly coat a shallow 9-by-13-inch (3 quart) baking dish with canola oil spray. Arrange enough bread cubes in the pan to cover the bottom in a single layer. Evenly distribute turkey-onion mixture on top of bread. Evenly arrange spinach on top. Cover with remaining bread cubes so that spinach is not visible from the top.

(If desired, pudding and liquid mixture can be separately chilled at this point, covered, up to overnight, with liquid added just before baking. Bring chilled pudding and liquid to room temperature before continuing to the next step. Pudding can also be chilled up to overnight after the liquid mixture has been added, but with somewhat less satisfactory results.)

Using a large spoon, add liquid mixture to the pan gradually, so as not to disturb contents, ensuring that bread cubes on top are moistened. Set aside to allow bread to absorb some of the liquid, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top of pudding.

Bake pudding in the middle of the oven, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed, the surface is golden-crusty, and pudding seems to be set in middle. (Pudding will set slightly more after it is removed from the oven.) If top of pudding begins to dry out during baking, cover lightly with foil and lower oven temperature 25 to 50 degrees. Or, small amounts of water or additional milk can be added to top, to slightly moisten bread cubes. (Toward the end of the baking period, oven temperature can be raised 50 degrees if pudding seems nearly done but the surface has not become golden and crusty, to speed up this last step.)

Remove pudding from oven, place on a wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

*One large whole-wheat baguette or rustic country-style loaf, preferably herbed; about 3/4 pound, or enough to make 9 to 10 cups bread cubes

**About 1 bunch spinach, washed, drained until dry and coarsely chopped; or about 1/2 package of commercially bagged baby spinach leaves)

Makes 15 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 236 cal., 10 g fat (5 g saturated), 23 g carbo., 14 g pro., 2 g dietary fiber, 433 mg sodium.

Source: American Institute for Cancer Research