1. Choose Your Bread

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes to make 6 cups. (Day-old bread works best.)

• Country white
• Semolina, crusts removed
• Sourdough, crusts removed
• Hot dog buns
• Croissants
• Potato bread
• Challah
• Baguette

2. Prep Your Cheese

Shred or crumble 2 cups total.

• Cheddar
• Swiss
• Monterey Jack
• Pepper Jack
• Goat cheese
• Muenster
• Fontina

3. Pick Your Veggies

Prepare 1 1/2 to 3 cups total.

• Onions, sliced and caramelized
• Plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Zucchini, chopped and sauteed
• Butternut squash, peeled, chopped and roasted
• Broccoli florets, blanched and chopped
• Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and sauteed
• Bell peppers, chopped and sauteed
• Kale or spinach, chopped and sauteed
• Mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

4. Choose Your Meat (Optional)

Prepare 1 to 1 1/2 cups (choose 1).

• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Sausage, cooked and crumbled
• Ham, diced
• Rotisserie chicken, shredded
• Kielbasa, diced and sauteed

5. Make the Custard

Whisk 10 eggs in a large bowl with 3 cups half-and-half and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of any of the following:

• Grated Parmesan
• Canned green chiles, drained and diced
• Olives, chopped and patted dry
• Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, chopped and patted dry
• Herbs (basil, chives, cilantro and/or parsley), chopped
• Scallions, chopped

6. Bake the Casserole

Scatter half of the bread in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups cheese, then add the vegetables, meat and remaining bread. Pour the custard on top; cover with plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight (bring to room temperature before baking). Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until slightly puffed and just set, 40 to 50 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Photograph by Kana Okada