Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding

The winner of the 2026 Local Food Recipe Contest, this bread pudding comes from shopper Christina Badaracco. "I love baking with winter squash throughout the fall and winter, but I want to make dishes that are savory to eat at meals—not just sweet dishes all the time," she explained. "I had a loaf of bread I needed to use up, and I remembered a delicious savory pumpkin pie I made several years ago, so I recreated that pie in bread pudding form."

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 large eggs
2 cup milk of choice
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
6 cup whole-grain bread cubes
1.5 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (optional)

 

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 large eggs
2 cup milk of choice
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
6 cup whole-grain bread cubes
1.5 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x13x2 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large pan, cook onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread cubes and onions; let soak for 15 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, cheese, herbs, and nuts/seeds (if using).
4. Pour into greased dish and cover with parchment and foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.