Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

 

1

lb ground breakfast sausage, any flavor

1

red bell pepper, chopped

2

cups cremini or white mushrooms, sliced

2

teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

1

loaf (8 cups, 1-inch cubes) Italian bread, Ciabatta or Baguette (crusty bread)

1 1/2

dozen (18) large eggs

1

cup whole milk

1 1/2

cups cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Brown the sausage in a saute pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, breaking it into bite size pieces. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Let cool. Drain.
• 2 In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk. Add remaining salt and cheese; stir to combine.
• 3 Add the bread cubes and cooled sausage mixture to a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Toss to combine.
• 4 Pour the egg mixture over the bread and sausage: press the bread mixture down gently to soak up some of the egg mixture.
• 5 Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Serve immediately.