The Jimmy Dean line of frozen breakfast food seems kind of small at a glance. But as you dig in, you start realizing that Jimmy Dean actually has a surprisingly robust lineup. They make everything from breakfast sandwiches to basic breakfast meats to wild spins on the breakfast formula.
It’s that last category that we’re exploring today, with the Jimmy Dean French Toast Casserole Bites. We’ve actually tried some of JD’s casserole bites in the past, but the French toast version seems pretty different from the other flavor options. Most notable is the fact that as soon as you crack open a package, the scent of maple and cinnamon hits your nose. That definitely wasn’t true of the other varieties of casserole bites we’ve reviewed.
The package offers both microwave and oven cooking options, but we’re a bit nervous about the microwave for these — previous attempts at cooking casserole bites in the oven still cased them to turn out a bit mushy, and we imagine the microwave only compounds this issue. So far, we’ve had a reasonable amount of success with oven baking, so we’re going to continue that trend and use the oven for these as well. (If you’d like to read the full cooking instructions, scroll down to the package scans at the bottom of this review.)
That sweetness we mentioned earlier is at the forefront of the flavor profile. While the other varieties of casserole bites we’ve tried went for a savory flavor, these ones revel in their sweetness. And that really makes them stand out.
Instead of using eggs as a base, like the other casserole bite options do, these use a cinnamon-glazed French toast instead. It’s a great choice that gives these a much better consistency. They’re not as watery as the other options (though they are still pretty mushy).
That’s not to say these are eggless, though — you’ll still find some scrambled egg chunks blended into these bites. The egg portion doesn’t have much flavor, which is actually a plus here, because an overly eggy flavor would really clash with the cinnamon sweetness.
The sausage, on the other hand, does contribute a bit flavor-wise. Jimmy Dean makes some excellent breakfast sausage — it might be what they do best, in fact — and that’s on full display here. As a subtle-yet-spicy kick to contrast with the sweetness, this sausage excels.
The package claims that five casserole bites are a proper serving size, and each bag should include about three servings (our bag contained exactly 15). If you stick with the recommended serving size, you’re looking at 220 calories (110 from fat) and 320 mg of sodium. If you eat the whole bag, however, you’re at 660 calories (330 from fat) and 960 mg of sodium. So be careful and eat responsibly.
The Jimmy Dean French Toast Casserole Bites are definitely our favorite of Jimmy Dean’s casserole bite options. Going for a sweet flavor rather than a savory one makes these succeed where the others have failed. If you’re trying to pick a batch of JD casserole bites, we recommend these over their savory brethren.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for these frozen breakfast bites, check out our package scans below.
