Thanksgiving is all about comfort food. It’s food that comes from tradition or creates new ones, food that’s familiar and cozy like a favorite pair of slippers. It’s about friendship and family, shared across the table. This is why I’m so excited to be partnering with ALDI to share one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and bring it to Adrianna’s Friendsgiving event on Wednesday! So, here it is, Butternut Squash Savory Bread pudding – my twist on stuffing.

My mom makes a beautiful stuffing every year, but I find myself doing the same thing every time it’s my turn at the buffet line – stealing stuffing from the top crust. RUDE! I can’t help it! I’m just not a big fan of the mushy texture stuffing can get. So for this year, I switched the classic recipe to more of a bread pudding. The eggs and milk create a silky texture – never mushy- and the bread gets insanely crispy on top with the help of melted gruyere. I added brown butter, sage, caramelized onions, and butternut squash because let’s be honest, that combination is always delicious. The best part is that all of the ingredients are easily found at ALDI, which means high quality ingredients at a price point that wont break the bank.  I was so excited to see that they carried Specially Selected Gruyere – perfect for this recipe! But one of my favorite things about this recipe is how versatile it is. You could do a walnut mushroom version, sausage and peppers, honestly, whatever strikes your appetite. Happy Eating!

To help bring more food to more people this holiday, ALDI is teaming up with Venmo and Feeding America^® to encourage people to add a new tradition of giving to their Friendsgiving celebrations with help from the very first, custom-designed Friendsgiving Turkey Hand emoji. Every time the Turkey Hand is shared on Venmo this November, ALDI will donate 10 meals to Feeding America to help people in need, up to one million meals. Learn more about the ALDI meal donations to Feeding America here.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Prep Time: 45 minutes, Cook Time: 35 minutes, Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS (CARAMELIZED ONION)

1 tablespoon Countryside Creamery unsalted butter, plus more for greasing baking dish

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups Chef’s Cupboard Turkey Stock

INGREDIENTS (BREAD PUDDING)

2 ounces Countryside Creamery unsalted butter

1 sprig sage

6 SimplyNature Organic Cage Free large eggs

2 1/2 cups Countryside Creamery half and half

1 1/2 tablespoons Burman’s Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon Stonemill freshly ground black pepper

1 Specially Selected Italian bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

3 cups cubed and roasted butternut squash

6 ounces grated Specially Selected Gruyere

DIRECTIONS

For the Caramelized Onions: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, then add onions, and salt. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until onions have softened, about 30 minutes. Add turkey stock and cook until liquid has cooked down by half, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the butter and sage, and cook over medium heat until butter is browned, pour into a glass bowl (so it stops cooking), set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half or milk, mustard, brown butter sage, caramelized onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Add dried bread and let soak in custard for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Fold in the butternut squash and half of the cheese.

Butter a 12-inch cast iron skillet or a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and pour the bread mixture into the pan, top with remaining cheese, and then bake until bread is crisp and custard is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.