Roasting peppers: Coat with all but 2 Tbsp of olive oil and choice seasoning. (we used The Olive Twist Herb Dipping Blend and Tuscan Herb Olive Oil) Roast under 400 degree broiler for 30-40 minutes, or until the skins are charred and blistered. Place in a plastic grocery bag with a paper towel and let cool. Once cool to touch, peel the skin and remove stem and seeds. Dice, chop, slice to whatever desired shape for the dish.
Whisk together eggs milk and seasoning. Add bagel pieces. Transfer to prepared baking dish, add roasted red peppers, spinach, ham and half the cheese. Fold to incorporate. Top with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Use 2 Tbsp of the olive oil to coat a 2-quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dish from refrigerator and let rest 20 minutes before placing in oven. Uncover dish and bake 55-65 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
The Oil and Seasonings can be swapped out easily in this recipe. Make it spicy? Mediterranean? You can also use any day old bread instead of bagels. Other substitutes could be asparagus instead of spinach, or sausage for ham.
A serving size is 1/2 cup of beans.
The onion, ham, jalapeno and seasoning are added for flavoring and completely optional.
Basic Bean Preperation
Pick over beans and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Place cleaned beans in a bowl of fresh cold water, cover and soak for 3 to 8 hours or overnight at room temperature; drain and rinse well. Or place beans in a saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, remove from heat and soak 1 1/2 hours drain and rinse well.
To prepare as a dish to serve:
Chop onion, ham, and jalapeno. Cover with water 2" above the beans, add other ingredients, simmering 1 to 2 hours or until tender. (watch the water level if simmering longer, or if you want it to be more soup vs a side dish.)
Soak the beans in water 24-48 hours.
In a large pot over medium heat, warm oil and add ham, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add ingredients beans to Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, for an hour. Add remaining flavoring ingredients. Simmer for an hour more. May need to adjust flavors before serving.