Who doesn’t love a French toast casserole?
I know I don’t need to tell you why. I mean, do people seriously still make French toast the old-school way, slice by slice in a skillet? That’s not so bad if you’re cooking for one or two people, but when you’re feeding a crowd – it just ain’t gonna cut it.
Enter the French toast casserole. Better yet, enter the overnight French toast casserole.
Oh, yes. It’s a party – literally. It feeds a party, it’s a party of flavor in your mouth … the whole bit. Overnight means you don’t have to do any work the day you plan to serve it. Of course, I offer up a super-quick blueberry sauce for you to whip up while it bakes in the oven, but it’s so easy, it practically makes itself.
This is not your ordinary French toast casserole. It starts with a loaf of Challah or Brioche – the way any decent French toast does. Then, there are blueberries … lots of ‘em, between the bake and the sauce. Next, is the orange: The zest of an orange in the casserole, and then reinforced by way of Grand Marnier in the sauce. A ton of almond flavor makes an appearance, in the form of almond extract (obsessed) and then a layer of sliced almonds covered in brown sugar for a crunchy topping.
And then, yes, of course! There’s the Mascarpone. You’ve likely had some kind of French toast with cream cheese, which is all fine and good, but if you really want to go for it, Mascarpone is the key. It’s a sweet, Italian cream cheese that happens to jive in a magical way with blueberries and almonds. It’s a match made in heaven!
If you like all of these flavors, then there’s probably not much else I need to say to convince you to make this.
Other than: It also works perfectly well with a pitcher of mimosas. Your next Sunday just got so much more delicious.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 8-ounce packages Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1 loaf Challah or Brioche, sliced and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 8-ounce packages Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1 loaf Challah or Brioche, sliced and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- Splash of Grand Marnier
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Whisk eggs, milk, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, extract, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Combine Mascarpone and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in another medium bowl.
- Add half of the bread cubes to prepared baking dish. Spread sweetened Mascarpone cheese over the surface of the bread cubes. Sprinkle with 1 cup blueberries. Cover with the rest of the bread cubes. Pour egg-milk mixture over top. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight.
- When you wake up the next morning and get the coffee going, take the casserole out of the fridge and set it on the counter. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour a mimosa.
- Pour another. You’re not eating this alone! Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the top is golden and the filling is set.
- While the casserole is baking, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces and starts to get syrupy. Add the blueberries, Grand Marnier, and salt. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until most of the blueberries burst. To thicken the sauce, dissolve cornstarch into about a tablespoon of water in a small bowl; add to the sauce, stirring, and allow it to do its magic. Remove from the heat, and set aside. You can rewarm over low heat when the casserole is almost done.
- Allow the casserole to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Stir butter into the sauce just before serving.
Believe it or not, I have never even made french toast the traditional way. I’m all about the overnight casseroles! Whenever I have weekend guests I make Paula Deen’s french toast casserole recipe, but this actually looks even more delicious!
Maggie @ A Bitchin’ Kitchen recently posted..Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers
I do believe it! I’m not sure I’ve made it the traditional way, either. I think Paula’s was the first one I ever made, it’s a great go-to. I’m thinking that’s like the basic, LBD of French toast casseroles, and this is the fancier, pull it out once-in-while number.
Will you marry me?
Gini Dietrich recently posted..Mad Men, Pancake Syrup, and Analytics
Less work the morning of + mascarpone + blueberries + FRENCH TOAST…what is there NOT to love about this??
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This looks delicious. If I’m cutting the recipe in half, what size casserole dish do you think would work?
Thanks!
Marissa
Marissa, an 8 x 8 should be perfect. Let me know how it turns out!
Omygosh YUM! I love the mascarpone and crunchy sliced almonds, this sounds so good!! I just need to find more excuses to host a brunch now…
WOW this sounds ahhhhmazing! I am making this Sunday as part of Mothers Day brunch!
Thanks for a scrumptious recipe!!!
Thanks, Autumn! Let me know what you think/thought!
It turned out fabulous!!!! We all loved it!!! I also made your roasted asparagus, fried capers and poached egg along with your yummy spicy bloody mary’s!!
Great recipes!!! My first Mother’s Day brunch was a total success!!
Autumn, this makes me SO happy! You have no idea! So happy I could help. And what a great spread!
Made this dish for Mother’s day and it was delicious. Everyone loved it! It had the right amount of sweetness to it.
So glad you enjoyed it! xxSAS