Cheesy Egg Bake

Colleen's Take: "The original recipe called for white bread, my Dad almost had a coronary attack when I mentioned this, so we had to use nice italian bread. We prepped it the night before so we only had to pop it in the over Christmas morning, it was delightful! I will be using this one again."

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 pounds mini sweet peppers or red bell peppers, seeded and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• 10 large eggs
• 4 cups whole milk
• 12 slices  (1/2-inch thick) white bread
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely shredded gruyere

directions

• Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and a pinch salt and cook, stirring, until the peppers are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and 3 tbsp. chives.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Whisk in the milk.
• In the prepared dish, arrange 6 bread slices in a single layer, cutting to fit if needed. Top with the pepper mixture and 1 cup cheese, then the remaining bread. Pour in the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese. [Make ahead: Cover with plastic; refrigerate overnight. Uncover before baking.]
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Bake until puffed up and browned, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tbsp. chives.

recipe found here