Overnight French Toast Casserole

This Overnight French Toast Casserole transforms everyday pantry staples into a cozy, crowd-pleasing breakfast. The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity: you assemble it the night before, letting the bread soak up the custard so the flavors meld together while you get some sleep. Come morning, all that’s left is to slide it into the oven. Featuring vitamin C-rich pumpkin puree and fiber-packed pecans, the flavors in this casserole make for the perfect fall breakfast. Read on for tips and tricks including ways to give it your own spin below!

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• Taking the time to toast the bread cubes in the oven ensures they’ll soak up the custard without turning soggy. If your bread is already dry and crispy, you can skip this step.
• A sturdy, crusty whole-wheat loaf holds up best to the overnight soak. Softer sandwich bread will collapse and yield a mushier casserole.
• Be sure to use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices.

Nutrition Notes

• Whole-wheat bread is higher in fiber compared to white bread. Most of the wheat kernel is kept intact, which provides fiber along with vitamin E, B vitamins and minerals, including manganese, which helps to break down and digest carbs. Make sure to review the Nutrition Facts panel to look for whole-wheat bread that provides at least 2 to 3 grams of fiber per slice, and check that the ingredients list has whole wheat listed as the top ingredient.
• Whole milk provides vitamins A, D and B12, along with calcium and potassium that support bone and muscle health. Whole milk contains 3.25% milkfat, which helps slow the absorption of carbohydrates while increasing absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and D. 
• Pumpkin puree gets its orange color from vitamin A in the form of the antioxidant beta carotene. Vitamins C and E also provide antioxidants along with fiber, potassium and magnesium, a combination that supports blood sugar control, immunity, eye health, heart health and skin health while helping to reduce inflammation. Look for cans labeled as 100% pumpkin, which is just roasted and mashed pumpkin with no additional ingredients. 
• Pecans have fiber, protein and unsaturated fats that help support better blood sugar, lower cholesterol, healthy weight maintenance and satiety. Pecans also contain vitamins and minerals like vitamins A and E, magnesium and iron for healthy skin, bones, muscles and nerves.