(egg-free) French Toast Casserole

French toast....without eggs?  Yep.  And it was AWESOME!  I got an email from a Makin' it Mo'Betta reader not too long ago asking if I had any tried-and-true egg-free french toast recipes.  I realized I didn't.  I had a couple bookmarked, but hadn't tried them.  Of course, since then, I've been obsessing wanting french toast.  I found this recipe and knew I wanted to give it a try.

It may not be that pretty, but it turned out really well.  I was amazed that it tastes just like traditional french toast!  And even better - it only takes a few minutes to put together and 30 minutes to cook.  We had it for dinner with grits and we would have had turkey bacon if I had carried my lazy.. gone to the store :P  I always need to go to the store!

My kids liked this too...which is always a bonus.  Except for Mr. Two...who loves cinnamon toast, but only ate a couple of bites of this.  He doesn't eat anything.  It's starting to stress me out.  But anyway, that's a post for another day. *sigh*

The original recipe is egg-free AND diary-free, found here (Yummy French Toast Casserole)

Egg Free French Toast Casserole

2 tablespoons soy margarine, melted (milk-free) *I used Smart Balance 50/50
1 cup vanilla-flavored soymilk *I used skim milk and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup dark molasses
1 (16 ounce) artisan bread (milk-free, egg-free) or 1 (16 ounce) French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (milk-free, egg-free) *I used French Bread and it was 13 ounces
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (again)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray (note: do _NOT_ use butter-flavor cooking spray! This contains dairy ingredients).  *I used regular Pam cooking spray

Combine melted margarine, vanilla soy & milk, corn syrup, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, salt, and molasses in a large bowl.

Fold bread into mixture so that it absorbs liquid evenly. Place in prepared baking dish, and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake 15 minutes.

Remove foil, and bake 15 minutes more.

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cinnamon over the top.

Top as desired - allergen-safe syrup, fruit, or powdered sugar. *We used just a little sugar free maple syrup, but it is good by itself too.

This recipe goes in the "keeper" file!  Next time I want to make it with wheat or 12 grain bread.  I bet it would be good with walnuts or pecans too, if you don't have to worry about nut allergies. 

Since this is a pretty easy thing to throw together, I'm going to link up with Think Tank Momma for Share a Spoon today! The theme is 'speedy'!  She's looking for quick and easy meals...I hope there is lots of participation b/c with 3 kids and my limited skillz, quick and easy is about the only way I cook!

Click HERE to participate & check out the other recipes!

Also linking up with Ultimate Recipe Swap (meatless meals)

The Gooseberry Patch Blog