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.