Western Ham and Egg Casserole

Irmgard's Note:

This recipe is a hybrid. I found two recipes with almost identical ingredients. I liked the one recipe better because I could just put everything in the baking dish without layering. However, it called for it to be refrigerated overnight so that the egg mixture could sink in. I have a full-sized fridge plus two bar fridges but I do so much cooking at Christmas, there simply isn't room to store one more dish. The technique for the second recipe didn't need for the dish to sit overnight, but rather cook it in a hot water bath for a longer period. The end product was a big hit and turned out perfectly cooked and moist. A big time saver for this recipe is using the cut up day old bread that many bakeries sell over the holidays for making stuffing. I was also lucky in that I stumbled across pre-chopped pancetta at Costco, also a big time saver.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 6 cups day-old white bread , cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded
• ½ lb pancetta , cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• ½ cup red onion , chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper , chopped (Use whatever colour you like)
• 6 eggs
• 2 ½ cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the bread cubes evenly in a lightly greased 9" x 13" baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with the pancetta, cheese, onion, and pepper.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
5. Pour evenly over the bread mixture.
6. Place the filled casserole dish in another larger pan and add enough hot water to come two thirds up the sides.
7. Bake until firmly set, between 1 and 1-1/2 hours.