Treat the ones you love to a freshly baked make-ahead French toast breakfast drizzled with sweet blueberry syrup. Prepare this quick-to-make casserole the night before, wake up and pop it in the oven faster than you can say “breakfast in bed.”

Get the kids involved by letting them crack eggs, measure, pour and whisk ingredients, tear bread and sprinkle the topping. They will feel good about doing something thoughtful for someone else and enjoy eating the delicious result.

French Toast Casserole

French toast casserole can be customized by adding dried fruit, chopped nuts or trying different spices or extract flavors.

Ingredients

1 20-ounce loaf whole grain white bread
2 ¼ cups milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

  1. Spray baking pan with nonstick spray or lightly coat with melted butter.

  1. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; whisk well; set aside.
  2. Tear half of the bread slices into large chunks and add them directly to the baking dish. Pour half the egg mixture over the bread and gently stir to evenly coat the bread. Tear the remaining bread into chunks and place on top of the bread and egg mixture. Pour the remaining liquid over top and gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate.

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon and brown sugar. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and dispose of the covering. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown on top. Serve immediately with blueberry syrup.

Serves 12.

Blueberry Syrup

Blueberry syrup can be made while the French toast is baking or made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use. Gently reheat before serving.

Ingredients

4 cups frozen blueberries
6 tablespoons (or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons) real maple syrup

Directions

  1. Combine frozen blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Allow blueberries to bubble, stirring occasionally until berries have released their liquid and the mixture has slightly thickened about 30 minutes.

Serves 12.

Serving size: about 2 ½ tablespoons.

French Toast Casserole Nutrition

Calories 168 Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 1 g Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 92 mg Sodium 279 mg
Potassium 163 mg Total Carbohydrate 25 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g Sugars 5 g
Protein 8 g

Blueberry Maple Syrup Nutrition

Calories 51 Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 2 mg
Potassium 25 mg Total Carbohydrate 12 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 10 g
Protein 0 g

See more of the fresh, fun, and healthy recipes on our Wellness blog.

Top