Meatball Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/3 cup half-and-half cream
• 8 slices day-old bread, cubed
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in the red wine, tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and half-and-half. Place the bread cubes in a 2 quart casserole dish, or square baking pan. Pour in the egg mixture, and chicken stock, and stir in the ground beef mixture. The bread should be saturated. Sprinkle half of the Romano cheese over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden and the center is set. Portion into individual bowls, and top each one with some of the remaining Romano cheese.