Baked Vegetable Custard
Author: 
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
These custards are elegant appetizers and are a shoe-in at your next dinner party. Prepare them ahead of time and bake just before your friends arrive.
Ingredients
  • 10 oz. baby spinach, washed
  • 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked (al dente) broccoli florets, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • ⅓ cup pancetta, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, sliced
  • 6 slices country bread
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan, freshly grated
  • 2 cups tomato sauce (homemade or purchased)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400f.
  2. Cook the spinach over medium heat with the garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil – just until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat and set aside. Sauté onion and pancetta in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add zucchini and after 2 minutes add spinach. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Remove cover, toss in broccoli florets and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.
  3. Soak bread in milk, squeeze dry and tear into small pieces. In a bowl, mix the bread, egg, sautéed vegetables and Parmesan. Stir until combined.
  4. Distribute the mixture between 6 buttered ramekins (or similar sized oven-proof containers) place in a baking dish filled halfway with warm water. Bake 50 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the custard and invert onto a plate with a pool of hot tomato sauce.
Notes
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve on a pool of hot tomato sauce or on a bed of mixed greens. Enjoy!
Recipe by The Culinary Chase at https://theculinarychase.com/2015/01/baked-vegetable-custard/