Overnight Ham and Cheese Bake

Er, I can't really think of anything clever to say about this breakfast casserole.  Its one of those things that you put together at night, let it sit in the fridge, and then bake the next morning.  Since Andrew leaves for work at 7:30, this meant that someone had to get up at 6:15 and preheat the oven and then put it in there 10 minutes later.  I'm sure that's not very early for a lot of people, but it is for me and I did manage to drag my butt out of bed, all in the name of a casserole.  It was pretty good, though, and easy to take a piece to work and just zap it in the microwave when you get there.  Double points if you actually remember to take the tupperware home at the end of the day so it doesn't just sit on your desk for weeks on end and then has to be discarded.  Not that I've ever done that or anything....

Overnight Ham and Cheese Bake
Source: Adapted from Recipe Girl

6 slices of bread
2 Tbs butter
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I only used a cup and a half of reduced fat cheddar)
¾ lb ham, thinly sliced
½ lb mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter
7 ounce can diced green chiles (I omitted this and used diced Vidalia onions instead)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (I only used a cup and a half of reduced fat mozzarella)
6 large eggs
2 cups 2% milk (I used skim)
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp basil
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp onion salt

Butter 6 slices of bread; place butter-side-down in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place ham on top of cheese; then layer with mushrooms and onions. Top with mozzarella cheese.

In a bowl, beat eggs and add milk, salt, paprika, basil, onion salt, pepper and dry mustard. Pour over ingredients in dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To bake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Uncover casserole and bake for 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes to set before serving.