Sweet Sausage French Toast Casserole With Caramelized Bananas

Submitted by LAURIE

"My entry for Ready, Set, Cook contest #3. Was hungry for "breakfast" for supper on night and this just kind of materialized. We like it and hope you do too! Times do not include refrigeration and setting time, so adapt accordingly please."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 8 slices very dry cinnamon-raisin bread
• 1⁄2 lb sweet pork sausage, browned and drained (use maple flavored or brown sugar or apple cinnamon flavored)
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 (11 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ginger
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 5 -6 firm bananas

directions

1. Grease 8x8 square baking dish.
2. Fit 4 bread slices into the bottom of the pan.
3. Crumble sausage over the bread in the pan.
4. Top with remaining 4 slices bread.
5. Beat eggs together then add the milk, cinnamon and ginger.
6. Pour over the bread in the pan, covering completely.
7. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
8. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before baking.
9. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes or just until the middle is set.
10. After casserole has baked for 35 minutes, start making the banana sauce.
11. Melt stick of butter over medium heat in a skillet.
12. Stir in the brown sugar and heat until bubbly, stirring so as not to stick or burn.
13. Reduce heat to low and slice bananas about 1/4 inch thick into the skillet.
14. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until bananas are reducing in size and are becoming caramelized.
15. Keep sauce warm.
16. Remove casserole from oven and let set for 5 minutes.
17. Cut into squares and top with warm banana sauce ladled over the top.

Reviews

[Rita1652]

OHHHHHHHHHHH SOOOOOOOOO GooooooooD! I really liked this. The bananas were a great way to top this! Warm, sweet,salty nice way to start the day! I think I`ll save this recipe for Christmas morning!

 

[Kate in Ontario]

Very good recipe.The sauce was wonderful. I found that the top layer of bread got very crusty though while the middle was waiting to set. Maybe if I partly covered it the middle would set faster without the top getting overdone.

 

[Yarndog]

Very Good, loved the banana topping and the addition of the sweet sausage. Will make this again soon.

 

[melissak412]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. This recipe saved me when I had to come up with a breakfast item for my husband to bring to work for his turn for Friday breakfast day. He was told it was outstanding.I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I cut the bread into quarters to give the finished product more of a brunchy appearance, and instead of ground sausage I used maple flavored link sausage that was pan browned and cut into small slices. The sausage was layered throughout the casserole with the bread not organized in any special way. I love this recipe because is easily doubled or, in my case I made six times the recipe. My home smelled phenomenal all day after I baked this in the morning. In addition to the bananas I offered strawberries in syrup, which is simmered the night before, and also blueberry and maple syrup.

 

[parolebreakfasts]

I brought this in for breakfast at my work--a drop in center for people on parole. They loved it! I made it in a 9x13 pan and used 7 eggs and 12 oz evaporated milk. I used chicken apple sausage instead of the maple pork and replaced the raisin bread with maple french toast bread (it was on sale). I tore the bread up and mixed it with the cut ip sausage. I omitted the ginger because I did not have it and added some maple syrup to the egg mixture. The banana sauce tasted great though a little heavy and I had trouble carmelizing the bananas. All in all, it proved a wonderful base recipe and I will be experimenting with it in the future.