Make Ahead Breakfast Caserole

This is a great dish for the holidays or if you have guests staying over. Make it anytime the day before, refrigerate overnight and simply bake it in the oven while hanging out with friends of family. What's also great about this dish is you can change the vegetables and seasonings. I like to start with a egg, bacon, and potato base and then change up the toppings. You could do a country style like I did with peppers and onions or go for a vegetarian version without the bacon and adding in broccoli and mushrooms. 

Ingredients:
1 lbs. bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seed removed and finely diced
12 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups frozen diced potatoes (no need to thaw or cook the potatoes)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt and pepper
2 green onions, chopped 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper lined towel. 

2. While bacon cooks, whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Add in 1 cup of the cheese, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and half of chopped green onions and whisk to combine. 

3. Drain bacon fat from skillet but leave 1 tsp. in pan. Add onion and bell pepper. Season with a small sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender and slightly charred, about 4 minutes. Turn off heat and set vegetables aside. 

4. Thinly coat a large baking pan or casserole with butter. Add potatoes evenly to the pan. Top potatoes with the cooked vegetables. Add a thin layer using half of the bacon bits. Top everything with egg mixture. Gently stir everything in the pan with a fork to make sure everything is evenly distributed and coated with the egg mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. 

5. At this point you can either cover the casserole over night until ready to bake or bake it right away. If refrigerating, make sure to cover the top of the casserole directly with plastic wrap. Then cover with aluminum foil. 

6. When ready to cook the casserole, preheat the oven to 350. Cook in the oven, uncovered for 20 minutes until the eggs start to set. Carefully add remaining bacon to the top of the casserole. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.