Italian Ricotta Breakfast Casserole

We had a ladies brunch at church on Saturday and I brought this casserole.  I had some Ricotta cheese that needed to be used and some leftover roasted red peppers.  I added zucchini, and fresh tomatoes  and ended up with a satisfying and delicious addition to the brunch table.

The nice thing about a casserole like this is that you do all the preparation before you go to bed, tuck it into the refrigerator overnight and then bake it fresh in the morning.

• approximately half a loaf rustic bread cut into 1" cubes
• 1 zucchini shredded and squeezed dry (about 1 cup)
• 1 small onion, chopped and saute'ed in 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 a medium sized jar of roasted red peppers, drained, cut into 1/2" pieces and blotted with paper towel
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 slices prosciutto or 4 slices bacon chopped, fried and blotted with paper towel
• 1- 1 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• chopped fresh basil
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup milk or coffee cream
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper

1. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 cup casserole.
2. Place bread cubes in a layer to cover the bottom of the casserole.
3. Layer zucchini, onion, roasted red peppers, tomatoes and bacon on top of the bread.
4. Top with prosciutto or bacon and distribute chopped basil over the top. Set aside
5. In a large measuring cup, whisk eggs until frothy.
6. Add ricotta cheese and milk and continue beating until blended.
7. Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk once more.
8. Pour over casserole, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
9. In the morning, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350ºF.
10. Bake casserole for 40 minutes.
11. Remove foil and bake another 10-20 minutes or until edges are bubbling and top is beginning to brown.
12. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.