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Recipe | Sweet Potato French Toast Cups with Vanilla Cardamom Creme Anglaise

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Sweet Potato French Toast Cups

Sweet Potato French Toast Cups with Vanilla Cardamom Creme Anglaise
A typical weekend breakfast in our household involves microwaved muffins or string cheese. We’re always busy on the weekends and it seems like from Saturday morning to dinnertime on Sunday, we’re running errands or working in the yard. Taking the time for a sit-down breakfast seems like a small luxury. And when we do have traditional breakfast foods like pancakes or waffles, it’s usually for dinner because I’m in no mood for cooking first thing in the morning.

The wonderful thing about French toast casseroles, though, is that they can be made the night before–and really, they’re so much better when you make them ahead of time too. Although I’ve never made a French toast casserole myself, I thought I’d try one because doing most of the work the night before and simply popping it in the oven in the morning seemed like the happy medium between the string cheese breakfast and homecooked pancakes or waffles. We’d still have something delicious to sit down to, but I wouldn’t have to be flipping pancakes while groggy and cranky.

Of course, a whole French toast casserole is a little too much for two people, so I decided to make Sweet Potato French Toast Cups, using muffin tins–this way, we could easily freeze some of the leftovers for another weekend. The result is kind of a cross between French toast and bread pudding. By taking the time to bake the sweet potatoes, you can take advantage of their natural sweetness and add less sugar than in a typical French toast recipe. I deliberately left out spices in the French toast cups so the flavor of the Vanilla Cardamom Creme Anglaise would shine through–if you decide to make these without the creme anglaise, add some cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice to the French toast before baking.

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Sweet Potato French Toast Cups with Vanilla Cardamom Creme Anglaise

Sweet Potato French Toast Cups

Although this Sweet Potato French Toast Cups recipe is meant to be an overnight one, you can simply let the bread and egg mixture sit in the muffin tins for 20-30 minutes before cooking if you’re pressed for time.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 small sweet potato, pierced with fork
  • Cooking spray or oil mister
  • 8 oz. stale bread, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (any kind will do, but I like using a small baguette)
  • 3 eggs + 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 c. low-fat milk
  • 2 1/2 c. half-and-half, divided
  • 2 tsp. vanilla, divided
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. cardamom

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place sweet potato on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until softened. Cool to room temperature and puree in food processor.
  3. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or oil. Divide bread pieces evenly among all 12 muffin cups.
  4. Beat 3 whole eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and brown sugar and whisk until well-combined. Whisk in 1/2 cup of pureed sweet potato (use any remaining potato puree for whatever you like or just eat it as-is–whatever!).
  5. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover muffin tins with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  6. To make the creme anglaise, heat half-and-half in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until just simmering, about 5 minutes.
  7. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolks. Slowly add half of half-and-half mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour half-and-half and egg mixture back into saucepan and raise heat to medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until sauce has thickened and coats back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and stir in vanilla extract and cardamom; pour through strainer into a heat-proof bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  8. In the morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from muffin tins and use a spoon to push bread down into the egg mixture before placing in oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are golden but not brown. Loosen French toast cups by running a butterknife along the edges before popping them out. Serve with chilled creme anglaise.

Notes

Prep time does not include time spent overnight in fridge.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 French Toast Cups
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Vegetarian Recipes

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Here’s a quickie recipe for those nights when you just need something fast and delicious. This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is super fast, light, and fresh, which makes it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner during the summer. The bright lemon flavor perfectly compliments the light and creamy ricotta, and the little pops of sweetness from the peas make every bite a little more interesting. Simple, fresh, and easy.

Originally posted 3-4-2011, updated 6-8-2022.

Overhead view of a bowl of lemon ricotta pasta with a fork and lemon wedges.

Do I Have to Use Fresh Lemon?

This is one of those recipes where you really do want to use a fresh lemon instead of bottled juice. The zest from the lemon adds a ton of bright, summery lemon flavor to the pasta without making the sauce too sour. We add just a little of the juice to balance the creaminess of the ricotta, but the zest is where you’re getting all that gorgeous sunny lemon flavor!

Not All Ricotta is Created Equal

I find there is quite a bit of variation in the quality of ricotta from brand to brand. Some are smooth, mild, and sweet like fresh milk, while others are bland and grainy. My preferred brand is Galbani, but they didn’t have any at the store when I went, so I got the generic Kroger brand. It was definitely a bit grainy, but the pasta was still quite delicious despite that!

Also, make sure to get whole milk ricotta. Low-fat ricotta just doesn’t hit the same in this recipe.

What Else Can I Add?

This simple pasta is a great jumping-off point for making a more elaborate pasta, if that’s what you’re in the mood for. Try adding some sliced chicken breast, fresh basil, or fresh spinach. Garlic butter shrimp would also go great with this pasta!

What to Serve with Lemon Ricotta Pasta

This pasta is so light and fresh that I suggest keeping any side dishes really simple, light, and fresh as well. I would go with a super simple side salad, or maybe some roasted asparagus and tomatoes.

Overhead view of lemon ricotta pasta in a skillet.

Overhead view of a bowl of lemon ricotta pasta.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Lemon Ricotta Pasta is light, fresh, and quick to prepare, making it the perfect pasta for weeknight dinners in the summer.
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Total Cost $4.27 recipe / $1.07 serving
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 400kcal
Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon $0.89
  • 8 oz. pasta* $0.67
  • 1 cup frozen peas $0.50
  • 1 clove garlic, minced $0.08
  • 1 Tbsp butter $0.11
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta $1.60
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan $0.36
  • 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) $0.02
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste) $0.02
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper (or to taste) $0.02

Instructions

  • Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
  • Cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy water from the pot.
  • Place the frozen peas in the colander before draining the pasta so the pasta will thaw the peas as it drains.
  • Add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Add the drained pasta and peas, and about ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to the skillet with the butter and garlic. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
  • Add the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the skillet. Stir until everything is well combined, the residual heat from the skillet and pasta have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has formed a creamy sauce. Add more of the warm reserved pasta water if needed.
  • Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

*Use any short shape pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 335mg | Fiber: 4g

close up side view of lemon ricotta pasta in a bowl.

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta – Step By Step Photos

A zested and juiced lemon on a cutting board.

Zest and juice one lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp of zest and 1 Tbsp juice.

Boiled pasta in a pot, water being scooped out with a measuring cup.

Cook 8oz. pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.

Peas and cooked pasta in a colander.

Add 1 cup of frozen peas to a colander, then pour the boiled pasta over top to thaw the peas as you drain the pasta.

Sautéed garlic in butter in a skillet.

Add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 clove garlic to a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Pasta, peas, and pasta water added to the skillet.

Add the still-hot pasta and peas to the skillet along with about ½ cup of the hot reserved pasta water. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.

Cheese and lemon added to pasta.

Add 1 cup whole milk ricotta, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the pasta. Stir until the ingredients are combined, the residual heat from the pasta and skillet have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has turned into a creamy sauce.

Salt, pepper, and red pepper added to the pasta.

Add more of the reserved pasta water if the mixture is too thick or too dry. Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.

Finished lemon ricotta pasta in the skillet.

Enjoy the lemon ricotta pasta while still warm!

Overhead view of a bowl of lemon ricotta pasta.

The post Lemon Ricotta Pasta appeared first on Budget Bytes.

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