Light French Toast Casserole

 

This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's baked french toast casserole. Her recipe of course had lots of rich ingredients so I lightened it up a bit to make it figure friendly!

 

Ingredients:

 

Casserole:

• 13 oz. of whole wheat french bread (about 3/4 of a loaf)
• 5 whole eggs
• 7 egg whites
• 1.5 cups of fat free half and half
• 1 cup of skim or 1% milk
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of Splenda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt

Topping:

• 1 stick of light butter
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of chopped pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Blueberries (optional for garnish)

Directions:

 

1. Grease a large baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the french bread into cubes and layer the cubes in the baking dish.

2. Next, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients for the casserole and whisk together until smooth. Pour this mixture over the top of the bread, making sure all the bread is covered (you can press the bread down with a spatula to get all the bread soaked in the mixture). Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add the butter (make sure this is softened, if not place in the microwave for about 30 seconds), brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together with a spoon or with your hands (hands work best) until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of casserole right before baking.

4. Bake the casserole for about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh blueberries and light maple syrup. Enjoy!