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Lemon Strawberry French Toast Casserole

A light and refreshing french toast casserole recipe that combines the flavors of fresh lemons and strawberries with the flavors of traditional french toast.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients
  

  • • Whole Wheat loaf of bread cut into cubes I used Mrs. Bairds and cut each slice into 9 pieces
  • • 7 eggs
  • • 2 cups of plain non-fat greek yogurt
  • • 1 cup skim milk
  • • 1 tsp salt
  • • 2 Tbs brown sugar + additional brown sugar for sprinkling on top
  • • 1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
  • • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • • 2 Tbs sugar or truvia
  • • 2/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
  • • Juice of 2 lemons
  • • 2 tsp lemon zest
For Strawberry syrup
  • • 1 container of fresh strawberries sliced
  • • 1/2 cup sugar or truvia
  • •1/2 cup water

Method
 

  1. • Generously spray 11 x 7 baking dish with PAM or non-stick cooking spray.
  2. • Cut sliced bread into cube size pieces and place in baking dish until full. Be sure to pack bread into corners of dish, and make sure bread is not "overflowing" from dish. (You should be able to cover dish in foil without smashing bread).
  3. • In a large bowl whisk together eggs, greek yogurt, milk, salt, 2 Tbs brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and sugar/truvia. Pour egg mixture over bread so that it is evenly dispersed. Sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice on top of casserole, cover with foil, and place in refrigerator overnight. You must refrigerate casserole for at least 6 hours so bread can absorb egg mixture.
  4. • In the morning, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and remove dish from refrigerator and remove foil.
  5. • Combine ricotta, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl and whisk together until smooth and combined. Pour ricotta mixture over top of casserole. Sprinkle top with additional brown sugar and spatula or back of a large spoon to evenly spread ricotta & brown sugar mixture across top of casserole.
  6. • Place in oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until cheese looks custardy and tops of bread turn golden brown. When finished, remove from oven and let cool before serving.
  7. • While casserole is baking, in a saucepan, bring water and sugar/truvia to a rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. When sugar water comes to constant boil, add in sliced strawberries and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and let strawberries simmer for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring sporadically. Once strawberry sauce is thick and gooey, remove from heat and place desired amount on top of casserole servings. Enjoy!

Notes

• Make strawberry sauce the night before and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
• Pour strawberry sauce on top of casserole either before or after serving- whatever you prefer!
Calories per serving: 177