Breakfast Casseroles | 20something cupcakes

Huevos rancheros is high on the list of my all-time favorite breakfast dishes.

And it’s a super-simple concept: Fried eggs, corn tortillas, and some type of tomato sauce. There are, of course, a few variations you can toss in there – like black beans, or salsa instead of a tomato sauce – but those are the building blocks.

When I discovered Deb of Smitten Kitchen‘s way of frying the egg on top of the tortilla over a layer of cheese, I fell in love with this breakfast. Daniel really fell in love with this breakfast. In fact, on any given weekend when I ask him what he’d like to eat in the morning, this is probably his most frequent answer. Sometimes if I have store-bought salsa on hand, I’ll make it with that – though I do prefer the homemade stuff.

Now that I’ve created this new way of making huevos rancheros, however, I have a feeling I’ll be making it much more often.

You heard the story – one of my bestest girlfriend’s also loves her some huevos rancheros, so it’s really her and Daniel you can thank for inspiring this idea. I wanted to make this dish for a group, without frying eggs to order. As I surfed around for a recipe, I couldn’t find what I was looking for – but I did stumble upon this recipe using chipotle and an avocado salsa. It wasn’t a bake, it was still going the traditional fry-to-order route, but I figured I could take the same flavors and create a recipe for a bake. So, that’s what I did – and here it is.

Do you already have a recipe for french toast casserole that you can’t live without?

Good. Go get it.

Now, throw it away. Delete it from your computer, get rid of that bookmark, or – if you’re still doing it the old-school way with paper or recipe cards – toss it right in the trash. You can live without that recipe. You know why? Because this recipe eats that recipe – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When I learned we were doing a Wild Card this Sunday for Project Pastry Queen, I was excited. The chance to go back and pick any of the recipes we’ve missed out on along the way meant this was the perfect time to share this french toast with you. I made it for brunch on Christmas Day, and with one crunchy, creamy, sinfully rich bite, we all quickly realized that this french toast went where no other had gone before. The recipe that Daniel’s mom, Meg, had been using for years was – pun intended – toast, and so was the old Paula Deen version I’d been serving up ever since I found my way into the kitchen just a few short years ago.

You may think you’re eating dessert, and you may be right – I haven’t decided. This french toast-pseudo-bread-pudding tastes good enough to be served as that final sweet bite to end a great meal, yet it’s simply phenomenal when served for a special breakfast or brunch. The crunch of the caramelized sugar topping combined with the sweet, luscious custard in the center makes for what’s guaranteed to be the most perfect french toast you’ve ever tasted. The Challah bread no doubt plays an important role, and I think it would be equally fabulous with a touch of Grand Marnier added to the custard. I love that it can also be made in a springform pan (which you can see when you click the link below), which looks so much prettier than your standard casserole pyrex. And, as is the great part of most french toast casseroles, it can be assembled the night before, making it perfect for entertaining.

Click here for the recipe. Trust. You won’t miss your old recipe one bit.