Bacon-Cheese Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 light multigrain English muffins, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 oz package (18 slices) lower-sodium, less-fat bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and coarsely chopped
• ½ of a medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 cup)
• ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• ½ cup bottled roasted red sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
• 3 oz Gouda cheese, shredded (¾ cup)
• ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz.)
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed if frozen
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread English muffin pieces in a 15×10×1-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until dried. Remove from oven and cool. Meanwhile, line a 4-quart slow cooker with a disposable slow cooker liner. Coat liner with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a very large bowl toss together the muffin pieces, bacon, zucchini, onion, roasted red pepper, ½ cup of the Gouda, and the Parmesan. Spoon mixture into the prepared cooker. In the same bowl whisk together milk, egg product, salt, and black pepper. Pour egg mixture over muffin mixture in cooker. Press lightly with the back of a spoon to moisten muffin mixture completely.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 to 3-½ hours or until an instant-read thermometer registers 210°F when inserted in the center of the casserole. For even cooking, carefully rotate crockery liner 180 degrees halfway through cooking if possible. Turn off cooker. Remove crockery liner from cooker. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Gouda over casserole. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.