Mushroom, Roasted Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Bread Pudding

Use any combination, or just one type, of your favorite mushrooms for this earthy vegetarian entrée. Crumbled feta cheese makes a fine substitute for goat cheese.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 3  cups  sliced cremini mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
• 3  cups  sliced button mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
• 2  cups  sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)
• 1  cup  thinly sliced leek
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 1  (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 1/2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1  cup  egg substitute
• 1 1/4  cups  (5 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided
• 8  ounces  (1-inch) cubed day-old sourdough bread (about 9 cups)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine parsley, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, leek, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; sauté 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are lightly browned. Add half of parsley mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in bell peppers. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, remaining parsley mixture, milk, egg substitute, and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in mushroom mixture. Add bread; stir gently to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until pudding is set and lightly browned.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

273 (29% from fat)

Fat:

8.9g (sat 4.4g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:

17.3g

Carbohydrate:

31.9g

Fiber:

2.9g

Cholesterol:

13mg

Iron:

3.9mg

Sodium:

766mg

Calcium:

174mg