This French Toast Casserole is brought to you by the actual friends of Fiesta Friday. Well, that’s a loaded word right there. ACTUAL.
Does it follow, then, that since they’re ACTUAL friends, they are also REAL and TRUE? Discuss among yourselves!
Okay, just kidding, okay?
I love all my actual (read: non-virtual) friends as much as I love… butter.
Okay, okay, I love all my actual, non-virtual friends as much as I love you, my virtual yet actual friends.
Okay, this is all getting so confusing I can’t figure out anymore who is actual and who is… butter.
The point I was trying to make was, when I posted my Burrito Bowl recipe the other day, we were buried under 2 feet of snow.
More or less. Approximately. Just about. I didn’t actually go out there and measure. I’m not a real snow scientist. I just play one on snow days. Please call an actual snow scientist to verify.
The real point is that when you’re buried under 2 feet of snow, there’s only one thing to do.
Make and eat French Toast Casserole!
So, to show how much I love my actual friends, who wanted to know why I was posting Burrito Bowl in the middle of a snowmageddon, I’m sharing my easy, peasy, and might I add please-y FTC (French Toast Casserole, not Federal Trade Commission).
Here’s how to make the French Toast Casserole
By the way, this is a skinny version of Epicurious recipe since Miss Kim (an actual friend) requested low-calorie recipes. Oh, Kiiyiim…are you reading? This is for you!
And I also made a much smaller casserole, for smaller appetites. Use a small 7 x 5 baking dish for this. It’s so cute! Perfect for stormy days.
Also perfect for sunshiny days!
- ⅓ of a 1 lb loaf Challah bread
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup 1% milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or substitute)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecan
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Cut challah bread into ½-inch thick slices and small enough to fit your casserole dish.
- Spray/Butter casserole dish.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a wide-rimmed bowl. Add milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir to mix.
- Dip slices of bread into egg mixture. Arrange them to fit the casserole dish. Dot with butter here and there (optional).
- Pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and chopped pecan.
- Cover with aluminum foil, but not too tightly. Casserole will puff up during baking.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes.
- Serve with optional maple syrup and powdered sugar.
And for those who are not watching their diet (and I’m not even sure why Miss Kim feels the need to, to be honest!), a sprinkling of sugar wouldn’t hurt.
And a drizzle of maple syrup definitely helps!
Pin to make later
Totally love this. A fantastic breakfast or brunch or dessert . Hey I could eat it anytime!!!
I had it again today for breakfast and dinner! 🙂
Wow! This looks fabulously good, Angie! And I love it that it is a skinny one, though I don’t really care about the calorie thing. 😀 I also love that it’s a casserole dish, that means I don’t have to fry them on griddle one by one and be bored by just watching them to be done. Pop them in the oven and dance away until you smell those amazingness all over your house. 😀 I am saving this recipe and dream about it until I make them myself.
Easy peasy and so yum, Jhuls! I’ve had it 3 times in the last couple of days! 🙂
Wow.. Looks and sounds really yummy?!! And the term- skinny makes it more special!!
And you won’t feel so guilty after eating a second slice! 😀
Nice! Like a version of bread and butter pudding? I reckon I could convert that to a savoury version, what do you think?
Keep warm xx
It is very much like bread pudding. Of course you can make this savory. With lots of veggies. Would be lovely! 🙂
Ooh, ideas ideas!!!
As much as butter? Angie, you have a great big heart. LOL. I agree that there is only one thing to do on a cold snowy day and that is to cook, and this french toast would definitely be the comfort food perfect for the day.
And this literally took me 5 minutes to prepare! I love that kind of recipes, don’t you? 🙂
LOVE that kind of recipe!
??
We ALL definitely think of our stomachs when a blizzard hits, I know I did :). Your french toast casserole would have gone down a treat here at our house. We survived, but I wish it would hurry up and all melt LOL!
Still can go down a treat right now, Loretta! It’s also wonderful for sunshiny days. It’s sunny today, I’m happy, but still a little cold. I want to shed all my layering! Lol.
Does not look skinny just decadent! Love those pretty fluted bowls too! Julie, there are so many other things to do on snow days other than cook! Snowshoeing, shoveling, making snow angels, crafting….what did you think I was going to say!!!!
I think that’s the best kind of recipes, Johanne. When it’s skinny but actually tastes and looks decadent! ??
Oooh, absolutely perfect for this weather!
Uh huh, or any weather ??
Well, once it gets warmer I’ll have forgotten all about my diet plans and can tuck into the full-fat version 😉
Lol! Really I didn’t miss the fat! Scout’s honor!
Holy Moly…Puddingoy!! ? Sorry just made it up! ?
Love that burrito bowl and this small dish of sin and greed is all marked down for baking and shaking this weekend! Will keep ya posted!!!
And pudding oy to you, too! Lol! I love made up words! Hey, it might make it into the dictionary in the future ? This isn’t a lot of sin, it’s low fat! Can’t wait to find out what you think! ❤️❤️
I am thinking the same way and may be a bit of pecans ??
So far I’ve only been extremely unsuccessful in the world of French toast casserole…but your photos alone have inspired me to go for it! Sounds and looks P E R F E C T! 😛
Thanks, Nancy! Really was very easy to put together and this one doesn’t need to be refrigerated overnight or anything like that. We want instant! Who can wait overnight! Am I right? 😀
You are always right, Angie! ?
Oh, 2 feet of snow??? That’s enough to make me hunker down and cook delicious comfort food like this! It would soothe my soul for sure! 😀
There isn’t a whole lot to do when snowmageddon comes to town. Though Johanne might disagree! 🙂 Give this a try, J, was really easy and yummy!
Heard about the snow storm on the radio, no wonder you were cooking comfort food. Love the skinny French toast Angie, I’ve pinned for later. Love the photos x
Let me know what you think, Sarah. It really is quite fantastic even though I drastically reduced the fat content! No heavy cream or extra egg yolks, etc.
That is a very tempting casserole, especially in this cold weather. I think by keeping it so skinny, I could be quite liberal with the maple syrup too.
You’re right, Hilda, and you won’t feel guilty having that second serving! 🙂
This casserole looks amazing and would be welcomed by me anytime, snow or no snow!
Hi, Fida! Long time no see, where you been girl? Happy to see you here. Definitely try the casserole even on sunshiny days ?
Yum! I love this version, what a tasty treat! My sister had a ton of snow back home (just like you!), but I’m hiding out in the summer weather here in Australia. It was unseasonably cold yesterday- 70! Happy FF! 😀
70 deg? Now that IS JUST TOO COLD! Lol! You must love it there; that’s just perfect weather. Can’t get any more perfect than that! Next week it’s going to be in the 50s here and I’m so excited you’d think I’d won the lottery 😀
Love it! Anything French Toast is my favorite…and this fits that bill!! 🙂
You and I both! As I’m thinking about it, I’m actually craving it again now, haha…
LOL! 🙂
I hate snow! Hate, hate HATE it! But it would definitely be ore bearable with this french toast casserole, I’m kinda drooling here!
I don’t hate it, to be honest. But I hate the mess afterward and definitely HATE driving in or on it! I just basically want to stay in and just watch it fall. That’s ok, and kinda pretty 🙂 So wonderful to see you here!
Yeah, I don’t hate snow if I don’t have anywhere to be, and walking the dogs in it can be fun. But if I have to go to work or anywhere else, it fills me with rage haha
Lol!!
This French toast casserole is so tempting!! Happy weekend!
Thanks, Su! I hope you’ll give it a try! XOXO
Love French toast casserole – I make one using Great Harvest Bread’s cinnamon bread 🙂
Oh, that sounds good! I’ll have to try that next time. Probably healthier than challah, too! 🙂
This looks really good, Angie, but unless I’m snowed in with a few others, I won’t be making it during the next blizzard. I’d eat the whole darn thing in an embarrassingly short amount of time. Even so,it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to put a loaf of Challah bread in the freezer and check to make sure I’ve plenty of maple syrup. You know, just in case. 😉
Beautiful!
Thanks, Maggie!
Somehow I didn’t manage to come through to look at this before, but it looks great! Such lovely photos. Your mix is actually pretty similar to what I always do – I’m obviously not the butter fan others are!
I love a little bit of butter here and there, but not too much! This one was just perfect for me since the challah is already pretty rich. Thanks, Caroline! XOXO
This looks sooo good! I just printed it to try in the morning. Thank you!
My pleasure. Let me know how you like it, Sarah.
Btw, Sarah, I just looked at the recipe again and it was missing step 7 where you sprinkle the top with a little bit of brown sugar and chopped pecan, but honestly it’d still be good without.