Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss Strata

From Cooking Light, reduced-fat ingredients keep this dish on the lighter side. Ideal for overnight guests, this breakfast casserole uses Swiss cheese for lovely mild flavor. Assemble it the night before, and bake in the morning. Note: prep time does not include overnight refrigeration time.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 12  ounces  ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 2  cups  chopped onions
• 2 (8 ounce) packages  pre-sliced mushrooms
•  cooking spray
• 1 1⁄2 cups  shredded reduced-fat swiss cheese
• 8  center-cut bacon, slices cooked and crumbled
• 3  cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups egg substitute
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
•  fresh thyme sprig (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Arrange bread in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until toasted. Place bread cubes in a large bowl.
3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates and vegetables are tender. Add onion mixture to bread; toss well to combine. Arrange half of bread mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of cheese and half of bacon; top with remaining bread mixture, cheese, and bacon.
4. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Remove strata from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake strata, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.