Baked Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole

When it comes to breakfast, this Baked Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole is the epitome of an evolutionary dish. Not only is it a kick start to your day, but this comfort dish will surely make your morning that much brighter, even on the most gloomiest of days. 

Happy April, ya’ll! I can’t believe that we are already in the 2nd quarter of the year. Oh my gosh, where is the time going? Although Spring has begun for a few short weeks now, it still is pretty “Blahh” here in NYC. Unfortunately, snow is making it’s rounds again this weekend, hopefully it doesn’t (**crosses fingers**), so we’re not getting the light jacket weather like some of our other counterparts yet. Hopefully that changes soon.

While it hasn’t been the best of weather here, I decided to make this french toast casserole as a great start to my day! Haha. Seriously, it’s SO Delicious, ya’ll. This was my first time having french toast in this form and I must admit that I’m hooked! I definitely will be making it this way from now on. I mean, who wouldn’t love putting together all of the ingredients into one baking dish and letting it bake and work it’s magic, right? It’s that simple. While the prep time takes the most work and time, it definitely is a fairly easy recipe nonetheless. Plus, you don’t need a reason to make french toast casserole, especially when it’s stuffed with strawberries + bananas and covered in maple syrup. Yum, indeed!

Looking for other great breakfast ideas? If so, I’d recommend taking a peek at our latest breakfast recipe–Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes or maybe you need something a bit more savory like this Cajun Shrimp Breakfast Bowl. And yes, you can have shrimp for breakfast. At least I do. Who makes the rules anyway? Haha.

Need something vegan? Try this Raspberry Pecan Vegan Waffles recipe. Can you tell that we love pecans yet? Haha.

For this recipe, you simply need: loaf of challah bread or sourdough bread, 2 Tbsps vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups milk (I used coconut milk), 1/2 cup organic heavy cream, 1/4 cup pure cane sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsps cinnamon,1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 3 ripe bananas (peeled + sliced; 1 banana should be mashed), 1 (21 oz.) can of strawberry pie filling, 1 cup of fresh strawberries. For the crumble, you’ll need: 1/2 cup of organic all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (room temp), and 2 cups pecan halves.

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend skimping on the bread type that you use for this casserole. Using plain white bread or thinly sliced bread just won’t work! This recipe definitely calls for something with a bit of thickness so that all of the liquids are soaked up well without being too soggy, etc. This is why using sourdough bread or challah bread is the best option. Anything else may not give you the best texture for this dish. Trust me, I’ve tested this!

While most french toast casseroles are plain cinnamon or the classic recipe, I wanted to add an extra hint of sweetness so I chose strawberries and bananas. I remember loving the strawberry banana flavor growing up, especially when it came to yogurts. I just think that these two fruit combinations are genius! They work so perfectly together! Is it just me?

To start, simply lightly grease a medium baking dish (9 x 13″) with butter or cooking spray and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, pure cane sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, mashed banana, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

Now, chop your bread into medium cube-like chunks in a large bowl and add strawberry filling and remaining banana slices, tossing to ensure that ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

In a food processor, add the crumble ingredients and pulse for 1 minute or so until all ingredients are well incorporated and in medium crumbles.

Add the cubed bread mixture to the baking pan, then pour whisked egg-milk mixture atop bread and then top everything with pecan-brown sugar crumble.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and sides are bubbly. **NOTE: french toast casserole may be SLIGHTLY wet in the center due to berries and banana, however, it shouldn’t be too wet. If still too wet, increase temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional 5-10 minutes.** Top with fresh banana and strawberries, if desired and maple syrup. Enjoy!

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Baked Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole

Course: Breakfast

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Creator Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

Must-Haves:

• 1 loaf challah or sourdough bread
• 2 Tbsps vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk or whole milk (See Notes)
• 1/2 cup organic heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 ripe bananas, sliced (1 should be mashed)
• 1 (21 oz.) can strawberry pie filling
• 1 cup fresh strawberries

Pecan-Brown Sugar Crumble:

• 1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
• 2 cups pecan halves

Instructions:

1. To start, simply lightly grease a medium baking dish (9 x 13") with butter or cooking spray and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, pure cane sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, mashed banana, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a food processor, add the crumble ingredients and pulse for 1 minute or so until all ingredients are well incorporated and in medium crumbles. 

4. Add the cubed bread mixture to the baking pan, then pour whisked egg-milk mixture atop bread and then top everything with pecan-brown sugar crumble. 

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and sides are bubbly. 

6.  Top with fresh banana and strawberries, if desired and maple syrup. Bon Appetite!

FYI:

**NOTE: french toast casserole may be SLIGHTLY wet in the center due to berries and banana, however, it shouldn't be too wet. If still too wet, increase temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional 5-10 minutes.**

For the brand of Coconut milk that I use, check out So Delicious.

Baked Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole.