Years ago when I was a second grade teacher at St. Joseph Christian School in Missouri, some generous mothers baked casseroles for us during parent teacher conferences. I couldn’t resist trying this casserole. Everyone ranted and raved about how delicious it tasted. Just the other day I was assigned to bring a breakfast casserole to my ladies small group. The reaction there was the same I had years ago. This casserole does take some time and effort, but trust me, it’s well worth it! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!
This recipe is a two part project. First, you are going to make the french toast. Gather your ingredients 1 loaf of french bread, 2 packages of cream cheese, 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries, 1 dozen eggs, 2 cups of almond milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup of honey. I had a really good helper with me!
Grease a 9×13 pan. You could probably go with a larger pan if you wanted to as the 9×13 was very full by the end. Cube the bread into 1″ squares and sprinkle half onto the bottom of the pan.
Next, cube the cream cheese. My mom told me that if I wet the knife in a glass of water, the cream cheese will not stick to the knife. It also helps if the cream cheese is right out of the fridge and not room temperature. Put the cream cheese on top of the bread in the pan and top with blueberries. Add the remaining bread cubes on the very top. Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and honey until well blended. You could use any kind of milk. I just prefer almond milk. I had also thought about trying coconut sugar, but didn’t have any on hand, so I just used white sugar. Pour evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day…
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover the french toast with foil and bake for 45 min. Then uncover and continue baking for an additional 25-30 min. While the casserole is baking, begin the sauce. You will need 2 cups of sugar, 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 cups of cold water, 2 cups of frozen blueberries, and 2 tablespoons of butter (I used coconut spread from Aldi). Boil sugar, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the cornstarch. Next, add the blueberries and butter. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 min.
The sauce will thicken upon standing. Pour the sauce over the casserole (carefully). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The ladies at my small group ate this casserole right up! My husband was very glad that there was a little bit left for him.
Here’s the recipe:
French Toast Blueberry Casserole
French Toast
1 loaf of French bread, cut into cubes
16 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 dozen eggs
2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
Sauce
2 cups sugar
4 T cornstarch
2 cups cold water
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 T coconut butter
For the french toast, spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Top with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and honey in a medium bowl until well blended. Pour evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day…
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover french toast and bake for 45 min. Uncover and bake for an additional 25-30 min. While the toast is baking, place sugar, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 min. Add blueberries and butter. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 min. Pour sauce over french toast and let stand 10 min. before serving.
I just made this recipe and it is delicious!