Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole (Printer-friendly)

Cinnamon-vanilla French bread layered with ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, baked until golden and topped with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Bread & Dairy

01 - 8 cups French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 8 large eggs
03 - 2 cups whole milk
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

→ Meats

08 - 1 cup cooked ham, chopped
09 - 1 cup cooked turkey, chopped

→ Toppings

10 - Powdered sugar for serving
11 - Maple syrup for serving

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with chopped ham and turkey. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
04 - Pour egg mixture evenly over bread and meat, pressing gently to help bread absorb liquid. Sprinkle Swiss cheese evenly over the top.
05 - Cover dish with aluminum foil and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow bread to fully soak.
06 - Bake covered for 30 minutes.
07 - Remove foil and bake additional 15-20 minutes until casserole is set and top is golden brown.
08 - Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It feeds a crowd without requiring you to stand at the stove flipping things like a short-order cook.
  • The bread soaks up all that eggy custard while the cheese gets melty and golden, so every bite feels luxurious.
  • You can prep it the night before and just pop it in the oven, which means you actually get to sit down with your guests.
02 -
  • Do not skip the 15-minute soaking time before baking, or your bread will stay dry and dense instead of becoming that tender, custard-soaked thing everyone wants.
  • Make sure your egg mixture actually covers all the bread; if you see dry cubes poking out, pour a little extra milk around until everything is kissed by the custard.
03 -
  • Cut your bread into cubes and let them sit out for a few hours or even overnight; slightly stale bread absorbs the custard perfectly instead of turning to mush.
  • Whisk your egg mixture until it's completely smooth and pale; any streaks of separated egg will create weird texture pockets in the final dish.
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