Berry-and-Walnut French Toast Casserole
This overnight casserole saves you the trouble of standing over a griddle flipping individual slices of French toast. If using a fresh baguette, cut it up the day before, and let it sit in the bag overnight to become slightly stale—that'll help prevent sogginess when the casserole is baked.
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time8 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Servings: 6 (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)
Author: Jamie Vespa, Cooking Light
- 1 8-oz. day-old whole-grain crusty baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Cooking spray
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen mixed berries, thawed
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
Arrange bread cubes in a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Using a fork, mash banana in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in milk, eggs, egg whites, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until combined. Pour mixture over bread cubes; toss to coat. Sprinkle berries over mixture. Cover with aluminum foil; chill 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine walnuts and brown sugar in a bowl. Add butter; using your fingers, mix until crumbly. Remove foil from chilled bread mixture; sprinkle bread mixture with walnut mixture. Replace foil cover.
Bake at 375°F until casserole is set, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes.