diff --git a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/backends.py b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/backends.py
index a65ae819b44..16b2c8959e2 100644
--- a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/backends.py
+++ b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/backends.py
@@ -537,6 +537,12 @@ def to_cudf_dispatch_from_pandas(data, nan_as_null=None, **kwargs):
     return cudf.from_pandas(data, nan_as_null=nan_as_null)
 
 
+@to_cudf_dispatch.register((cudf.DataFrame, cudf.Series, cudf.Index))
+def to_cudf_dispatch_from_cudf(data, **kwargs):
+    _unsupported_kwargs("cudf", "cudf", kwargs)
+    return data
+
+
 # Define "cudf" backend engine to be registered with Dask
 class CudfBackendEntrypoint(DataFrameBackendEntrypoint):
     """Backend-entrypoint class for Dask-DataFrame
@@ -643,20 +649,20 @@ class CudfDXBackendEntrypoint(DataFrameBackendEntrypoint):
     Examples
     --------
     >>> import dask
-    >>> import dask_expr
+    >>> import dask_expr as dx
     >>> with dask.config.set({"dataframe.backend": "cudf"}):
     ...     ddf = dx.from_dict({"a": range(10)})
     >>> type(ddf._meta)
     <class 'cudf.core.dataframe.DataFrame'>
     """
 
-    @classmethod
-    def to_backend_dispatch(cls):
-        return CudfBackendEntrypoint.to_backend_dispatch()
+    @staticmethod
+    def to_backend(data, **kwargs):
+        import dask_expr as dx
 
-    @classmethod
-    def to_backend(cls, *args, **kwargs):
-        return CudfBackendEntrypoint.to_backend(*args, **kwargs)
+        from dask_cudf.expr._expr import ToCudfBackend
+
+        return dx.new_collection(ToCudfBackend(data, kwargs))
 
     @staticmethod
     def from_dict(
diff --git a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/expr/_expr.py b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/expr/_expr.py
index 8fccaccb695..8a2c50d3fe7 100644
--- a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/expr/_expr.py
+++ b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/expr/_expr.py
@@ -4,12 +4,41 @@
 import dask_expr._shuffle as _shuffle_module
 from dask_expr import new_collection
 from dask_expr._cumulative import CumulativeBlockwise
-from dask_expr._expr import Expr, VarColumns
+from dask_expr._expr import Elemwise, Expr, VarColumns
 from dask_expr._reductions import Reduction, Var
 
 from dask.dataframe.core import is_dataframe_like, make_meta, meta_nonempty
 from dask.dataframe.dispatch import is_categorical_dtype
 
+import cudf
+
+##
+## Custom expressions
+##
+
+
+class ToCudfBackend(Elemwise):
+    # TODO: Inherit from ToBackend when rapids-dask-dependency
+    # is pinned to dask>=2024.8.1
+    _parameters = ["frame", "options"]
+    _projection_passthrough = True
+    _filter_passthrough = True
+    _preserves_partitioning_information = True
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def operation(df, options):
+        from dask_cudf.backends import to_cudf_dispatch
+
+        return to_cudf_dispatch(df, **options)
+
+    def _simplify_down(self):
+        if isinstance(
+            self.frame._meta, (cudf.DataFrame, cudf.Series, cudf.Index)
+        ):
+            # We already have cudf data
+            return self.frame
+
+
 ##
 ## Custom expression patching
 ##
diff --git a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/test_core.py b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/test_core.py
index 174923c2c7e..905d8c08135 100644
--- a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/test_core.py
+++ b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/test_core.py
@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@
 import cudf
 
 import dask_cudf
-from dask_cudf.tests.utils import skip_dask_expr, xfail_dask_expr
+from dask_cudf.tests.utils import (
+    require_dask_expr,
+    skip_dask_expr,
+    xfail_dask_expr,
+)
 
 
 def test_from_dict_backend_dispatch():
@@ -993,3 +997,13 @@ def test_series_isin_error():
         ser.isin([1, 5, "a"])
     with pytest.raises(TypeError):
         ddf.isin([1, 5, "a"]).compute()
+
+
+@require_dask_expr()
+def test_to_backend_simplify():
+    # Check that column projection is not blocked by to_backend
+    with dask.config.set({"dataframe.backend": "pandas"}):
+        df = dd.from_dict({"x": [1, 2, 3], "y": [4, 5, 6]}, npartitions=2)
+        df2 = df.to_backend("cudf")[["y"]].simplify()
+        df3 = df[["y"]].to_backend("cudf").to_backend("cudf").simplify()
+        assert df2._name == df3._name
diff --git a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/utils.py b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/utils.py
index c7dedbb6b4a..cc0c6899804 100644
--- a/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/utils.py
+++ b/python/dask_cudf/dask_cudf/tests/utils.py
@@ -48,3 +48,7 @@ def xfail_dask_expr(reason=_default_reason, lt_version=None):
     else:
         xfail = QUERY_PLANNING_ON
     return pytest.mark.xfail(xfail, reason=reason)
+
+
+def require_dask_expr(reason="requires dask-expr"):
+    return pytest.mark.skipif(not QUERY_PLANNING_ON, reason=reason)