Cheddar-Bacon-Asparagus Strata

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus fresh trimmed
• 1 pound bacon 
• 1 pound bread sliced
• 8  eggs 
• 2 cups milk 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground mustard dry
• 0.3 cup onion diced
• 0.1 teaspoon pepper 
• 0.5  bell pepper diced red
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• baking pan

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
3. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover and bring the water to a boil.
4. Add the asparagus, cover, and steam until bright green but still crunchy, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove asparagus and set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
7. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
8. Layer the bread slices into the bottom of the dish, cutting and fitting extra slices as needed to fill spaces.
9. Sprinkle 1 cup of Cheddar cheese over the bread, followed by the diced onion. Arrange asparagus spears and red bell pepper in a layer over the onion.
10. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the red bell pepper; top with another layer of bread slices, cutting and filling in spaces as before.
11. Pour the egg-milk mixture evenly over the casserole, and refrigerate overnight.
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
13. Bake the casserole for 50 minutes; sprinkle 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole, return to the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and a knife inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean, 10 to 15 more minutes.