Panzanella Strata

• This was a recipe I saw made on Rachael Ray show and tried it out on my sister-in-law when she was visiting for brunch. I made it with whole wheat bread. It was easy to put together the night before and it also was meatless. The flavors were very Italian tasting.
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• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 large red sweet pepper, chopped
• 2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 chili pepper, such as Fresno, jalapeño or Italian cherry, thinly sliced or finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 8 eggs
• 1 pint cream or half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• A small handful of basil leaves, torn or sliced
• Butter, for baking dish and to dot top
• 6 cups stale bread, white , chopped 

 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO, four turns of the pan. Add the peppers, onion, chili pepper and garlic and stir to tender-crisp, 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; remove from the heat and cool.

 Whisk together the eggs, cream or half-and-half, salt, pepper, half the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, parsley and basil.

 Arrange the bread and vegetables in the buttered casserole dish – it will mound up a bit. Pour the eggs over top of the casserole and top with remaining cheese and a few dots of butter. Cover and chill overnight or a couple of days ahead.

 Bring the casserole to room temperature. Bake at 375ºF for 60-75 minutes, until cooked through.

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