Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast

French toast is a classic breakfast dish and this version of Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast from The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook by Tina Ruggiero, MS, RD is sure to be your new go-to recipe for Sunday brunch. Your guests will be impressed with the taste and wowed by the nutritional content. Just one-half slice of Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce provides 30 percent of vitamin A, 25 percent of vitamin C and 20 percent of calcium daily recommended allowances.

Recipe For Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce

Yield: 8 servings
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients For Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce

2 juice oranges, such as Valencia
¾ cup/6 oz. finely chopped cherries
7 Tbsp./3 ½ oz. sugar, divided
½ cup/4 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1/8 tsp. plus a pinch cinnamon, divided
Several grates of nutmeg
¼ cup/1 oz. roughly chopped pecans
2 cups/16 oz. skim milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
8 (1 oz.) slices brioche or challah bread, preferably slightly stale or dried out (in the oven)
Powdered sugar to serve

How To Make Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce

Zest both oranges, reserving half for the ricotta filling and the other half for the cherry-orange salsa. Peel the oranges, remove any seeds and roughly chop the segments. Place in a non-reactive saucepan with the cherries, half the orange zest and 6 Tbsp. of the sugar. Heat to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has cooked down a bit and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Reserve. This can be made ahead, refrigerated and reheated before serving.

In a small bowl combine the ricotta, the remaining orange zest, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon, several grates of nutmeg, pecans and 2 tsp. of the remaining sugar. Reserve.

In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, pinch of cinnamon, a few grates of nutmeg, the remaining 1 tsp. sugar and a pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. Soak each piece of bread, making sure that the egg-milk mixture gets to the middle of each piece (lightly press on the bread to check, it should feel somewhat heavy). Place on the griddle and cook until golden brown on one side, flip and repeat on the other, about 2 minutes on each side. Place the first four on a baking tray. While the others are cooking, divide the ricotta between the four pieces of French toast, spreading it out. Top with the other pieces of French toast. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through. Remove to a cutting board and slice each piece in half. Then, transfer to a serving plate, top with the reserved cherry-orange sauce, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Calories: 270
Protein: 9 g
Total Fat: 7 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Sodium: 220 mg
Fiber: 3 g

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Orange-Pecan Ricotta French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce.

Thanks so much to Tina Ruggiero for sharing her french toast recipe from her book,  The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook. Tina is the on-air nutrition personality for the national morning talk show Daytime on NBC, and she is a nutrition and health writer for the Tampa Tribune where she covers topics including healthy eating and living, food science, diet and cooking.

You may also like to try this instant pot blueberry french toast recipe.