Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole is an excellent choice for a breakfast buffet. Assemble it a day in advance and bake it in the morning for an easy addition to your brunch menu.

Looking for more make-ahead brunch ideas? My Ham and Asparagus Strata is a savory overnight breakfast casserole we love!

Imagine lying in bed after sleeping in late, listening to the quiet rumblings of your husband and children working away in the kitchen. The house smells of coffee and the delicious breakfast that’s being lovingly prepared by your family. It’s Mother’s Day and this is your day.

Reality check.

Congratulations if this is happening in your house. If not, I’m certain your little ones have their hearts and intentions in the right place. Plus, their big ideas about a gourmet Mother’s Day breakfast would probably wreak havoc in your kitchen anyway!

This easy Blueberry French Toast Casserole recipe allows you to take the morning off from cooking and will make your children feel like accomplished cooks. It also gives you an excuse to get your kids in the kitchen to cook with you (or with Dad), all in the name of Mother’s Day. It’s genius!

Put this easy breakfast casserole together with your kids help the day before Mother’s Day, or any special day. Let it rest in the refrigerator overnight and in the morning, just mix together the simple topping and pop it in the oven.

They will feel they’ve really done something special for you when this comes out of the oven and there will be very little to clean up.

Ingredient Notes

• Cubed bread: Pick up a loaf of thick-sliced bread or Texas Toast. If you can’t find either, a loaf of French bread can be sliced thickly and cubed.
• Blueberries: For the best result, I recommend using fresh blueberries. Thawed frozen berries can be substituted but the texture won’t be quite the same.
• Mascarpone cheese: This Italian, soft textured triple cream cheese adds rich, creamy goodness to this recipe. If you want to lighten it up a bit, you can substitute one-third less fat cream cheese but the mascarpone takes it into the stratosphere. Check the gourmet cheese section at your local grocery store. You gotta try it!
• Egg custard: Large eggs whisked with whole milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is the eggy custard base of the French toast casserole.
• Streusel topping: Sliced almonds tossed with some light brown sugar and melted butter.

How to Make Blueberry French Toast Casserole

1. Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes and place half of them in a greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top the bread cubes with the blueberries and dollops of the mascarpone cheese.
2. Layer the remaining bread cubes over the top.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole, moistening the top layer of bread cubes. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.

In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it sit on the kitchen counter while you make the topping and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Combine the almonds, brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the casserole and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes or until nicely browned.

Storage Tips

Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave just until heated through.

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This post was originally published on May 11, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.