This has been a favorite for many potlucks. It presents quite well, especially with the roasted walnuts on top, and generally gets rave reviews.
Ingredients:
- 5 med zucchinis (can mix yellow squash too)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 10 bread ends (we collect them over several weeks and store them in the freezer)
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 cups Grated Tillamook Medium Cheddar
- 1/2 stick butter
- Garlic Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 cup Feta Cheese crumbled
Directions:
- Spread the bread halves through the oven, right on the racks. Toast all the bread at once on about 250 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it! You wan the bread toasted to crispiness, but not burnt.
- Wash the zucchinis and cut into rounds about 1/4" thick. Steam these on the stovetop until they are mushy and easy to mash.
- Drain the zucchini and place them in a very large bowl (you will add all the ingredients to the bowl)
- Cut the butter into thirds and add to the zucchini so it melts all over.
- Add garlic salt and pepper to taste.
- Add 1 cup of the cheese to the mixture and mix with a large spoon until combined.
- Add the nutmeg, mix together again and taste it to make sure you like the general flavor. *At this point, I've added variations to the recipe like chopped grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, mushrooms, etc. Sometimes less is more, however.
- Crush or chop the walnuts just a bit so they are still coarse and add half of them to the mixture (save the rest for the top).
- Add the 2 beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
- Get the bread ends out of the oven and raise the oven temp to 350 degrees F.
- Chop the bread pieces into 1" squares. They should be crispy and creating additional breadcrumbs on the board as you chop.
- Add all the chopped bread pieces and crumbs to the big bowl and mix thoroughly with your washed hands.
- Spread the mixture into a buttered 9 x 13" baking pan.
- Top with remaining shredded cheese and chopped walnuts.
- Sprinkle top with feta if desired.
- Cover dish with foil
- Bake zucchini pudding in the oven for about 20 minutes (add time if you added extra ingredients).
- Remove foil and broil for about 3 minutes, or until walnuts start to darken (watch very carefully!)
- Cool for a few minutes before serving. Goes well with a scoop of Nancy's Plain Yogurt.