Southwest Sausage And Jalapeno Bread Pudding - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces spicy sausage
6 cups bread cubes, from day-old country-style loaf (3/4 inch cubes)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Melt butter in a small pan; pour melted butter into a 13x9 inch baking dish, swirling it around to coat the dish with the butter.
In a medium skillet, crumble the sausage and brown it over med-high heat until no longer pink.
Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Layer half the cubed bread in the buttered dish and sprinkle with half of the jalapeno, corn, and red bell pepper.
Sprinkle with all of the sausage and layer half of the cheese on top.
Repeat the layers (except for the sausage) ending with cheese.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs until thickened; then whisk in the milk.
Season with salt and pepper; pour mixture over the contents in the baking dish; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and let set for 30 minutes at room temperature; position oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350\u00b0.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until puffed and golden, and a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean; let rest for 10 minutes before serving.