This sounds really strange, but it really is good. Do you ever find yourself watching TV while exercising on the eliptical machine, with Giada cooking a yummy dish? She sucked me right in. I was at the gym recently doing just that and had to come home and find the recipe to try for myself. 
It sounds really strange being called bread pudding, but it would be a great brunch dish if you want something with eggs that is light. 
I took a few pics along the way. All these flavors together was really wonderful. I adore anything with fresh tomatoes, basil, and cheese. I made this before my basil got zapped by the cold. 
I think this would be a great egg dish to serve for Christmas, a wonderful opposite to something sweet.
Tomato-Basil Bread Pudding
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis
Ingredients
Filling:
Butter, for greasing the baking dish
1/2 (8 oz.) multi-grain loaf, cut into 3/4″ cubes (I should have used multi-grain, but grabbed French)
3 TBL olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (I just used sweet onions I had)
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt & ground pepper
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups (6 oz). shredded Parmesan
Custard:
6 large eggs, at room temp
1 cup whole milk
1 TSP kosher salt
1/2 TSP freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Filling: Preheat oven to 375*. Butter a 9×13″ baking dish. Add the bread cubes and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until slightly soft, about 2 min. Remove the pan from heat and stir in basil. Pour the tomato mixture and Parmesan cheese over the bread cubes and combine well.
Custard: In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Pour the custard over the bread mixture and gently toss to coat. Bake until slightly puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Enjoy!
I’m linking to Jen’s Tasty Tuesday.
Rhoda! I can’t believe you watch The Food Network while working out on your elliptical! That almost seems cruel, LOL. I usually watch HGTV or something because when I get off my elliptical, I don’t want to head straight for the kitchen.
Thanks so much for posting the recipe. It looks and sounds delicious. Wouldn’t it be yummy for a cold morning (like this morning when it’s 11 degrees outside here in Birmingham) 😀
My dear Rhoda,
I does sound “weird”.. lol…. but my Italian soul says “YES! MAMA MIA!!!!” lol I am sure it would taste yummy. How can you go wrong with basil, tomatoes and bread??? Seriously! 🙂 Yum! I will try it and I must say that I love your pictures and how you explain the recipe. This is fun! And you’ve got me hungry. 🙂
By the way, thank you so much for your super sweet on my blog. It means a lot to me whenever you give me your opinion about my posts.
Have a blessed day,
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I love ANYTHING with tomato and basil. And I love Giada. I need to give this one a try!
Unusual for a bread pudding but I can see where it would meet the definition. Love anything with basil! And Giada is pretty reliable. So I will definitely try this one. Does sound good for a chilly morning which we’re getting even here in central Florida! 28 degrees this morning! Thanks for sharing!
This sounds soooo good; and the colors are perfect for Christmas brunch, but I bet it’s great for a summer supper, too. Thanks for sharing.
Delish! I’ll make this with fresh tomatoes from the garden this summer.I enjoyed my visit to your blog. Wishing you happiness, Katherine
P.S. I’m having a giveaway please stop by and enter 🙂
Rhoda – I love a savory bread pudding. I make a pesto and sun-dried tomato recipe that is a perfect side dish with beef or almost any meat. Yours sounds deelish. I will try it soon. Hope you are well. Barb
Oh this sounds wonderful!!!!! I love tomato and basil so this will be a real keeper! Thanks so much for the recipe!!! XO, Pinky
Oh my goodness, that looks SO GOOD. I am seriously hungry now, thanks, Rhoda! 😉 I have always seen dishes like this called “strata” rather than bread pudding, but I have no idea why! It looks divine either way! Definitely going in my clip file.
Yum!
~Angela 🙂
oh my this looks and sounds so delish! I simply can not resist anything with tomatoes and basil.
Since you are a basil lover, have you grown lemon basil? We did for the first time this past year and it was awesome!
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I just made this recipe- oh so DeLiCiOuS!! I also made stuffed banana peppers with string cheese and xxx hot Italian sausage. Thanks for sharing. MJ