Serving:  15

Ingredients

• 1 large whole-wheat baguette or rustic country-style loaf, preferably herbed (about 3/4 lb. or enough to make 9-10 cups bread cubes)

• 2-3 tsp. canola oil

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped

• 3/4 lb. cooked turkey, preferably breast  (or other leftover meat), cut into 1/2- inch cubes

• 2 large eggs

• 2 egg whites

• 3 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk (2%)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

• Canola oil spray

• 6 cups spinach leaves (about 1 bunch), washed, drained until dry and coarsely  chopped (about 1/2 commercially- bagged baby spinach leaves, which may be used)

• 1/2-3/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese with chili peppers, grated

Directions

• Diagonally cut baguette crosswise into slices 1/1-3/4-inch thick.   Cut slices into bread cubes.  (There should be 9-10 cups.)  Allow bread to thoroughly dry out at room temperature or, spread on baking sheets, in a preheated 250-degree oven.  Turn bread cubes mid-way 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 non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté, 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 sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Transfer turkey to bowl of onions and mix in until well blended.

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

• Lightly coat a shallow 9x13-inch (3 qt.) baking dish with canola oil spray.  Arrange enough bread cubes in the dish 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 chilled separately at this point, covered, up to overnight, with liquid added just prior to 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, as to not disturbed 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.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over top of pudding.  Bake pudding in the middle of the oven.  Bake pudding 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 be dry out during baking, over lightly with foil and lower oven temperature 25-50 degrees.  Or, small amounts of water or additional milk can be added to top to slightly moisten bread cubes. (Towards 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 in order to hasten this last step.)

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

Nutritional Information

• Per serving:236

• Calories, 10 g.

• Fat (5 g. saturated fat), 23 g.

• Carbohydrate, 14 g.

• Protein, 2 g.

• Dietary fiber, 433 mg. sodium.