Say hello to this hearty and cheesy rueben casserole recipe! Sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing all play a part in the layers of this tasty casserole!
🧡 Why this recipe works
The taste of a reuben is a delicious combination of savory, salty, and tangy flavors. The corned beef provides a hearty and slightly salty flavor, while the Swiss cheese adds a creamy and nutty element.
The sauerkraut contributes a tangy and crunchy texture, and the salad dressing ties everything together with a creamy and slightly sweet taste.
So basically, a Reuben casserole is everything you love about the classic Reuben sandwich in casserole form! It's baked up in the oven for a tasty, one dish meal.
If you're looking for a fun variation of Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage (or looking for a recipe to used up corned beef leftovers), you'll love this!
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🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need from the grocery store:
- sauerkraut - Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage that has natural occuring probiotics in it. You can find sauerkraut at the grocery store in cans, jars or sometimes bagged in the refrigerator section. If you're like me and you discover several jars in your pantry, you can use extra sauerkraut for making air fryer brats!
- yellow onion - or white onion. Whatever is in your pantry is great!
- caraway seeds - Caraway seeds have a distinct flavor that is warm, slightly sweet, and earthy, with a hint of anise or licorice. If you eat them, you'll recognize them. If they aren't your family's favorite or you're worried about picky eaters, you can omit them.
- Swiss cheese - this has a slightly nutty flavor.
- Thousand Island dressing - this is the classic creamy dressing made with mayonnaise, a hit of ketchup and pickle relish. When you write it that way, it sounds like an odd combo, but it's delicious in the right recipe.
- Corned beef - you can use leftover corned beef or get some straight from your grocery store deli.
- Rye bread - I used a seeded rye bread which contains caraway seeds. The flavor of these is slightly nutty with a hint of anise. When you taste them, you'll know it.. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread into bread cubes which top the casserole.
📋 Substitutions
✔️ Gruyère cheese, Emmental cheese or Jarlsberg cheese can be subbed in for the Swiss cheese and will still give reuben casserole the classic taste you love. You could also use cheddar cheese or Monterrey jack but they won't taste as authentic.
✔️ Don't have rye bread? Try using marble rye, pumpernickel bread, multigrain bread or even sourdough.
✔️ Fennel seed, celery seed or dill seeds can be used in place of caraway seed or can be omitted.
✔️ French dressing or Russian dressing can be used in place of thousand island dressing *though I really prefer the thousand island.
🥣 How to make cheesy reuben casserole
Before you get started, grease an 8 inch baking dish and preheat your oven to 375°F.
Step #1: In a large bowl, combine drained sauerkraut, onion and caraway seed.
Add half the sauerkraut mixture to the casserole dish and evenly spread.
Step #2: Top with half the shredded cheese, ⅓ cup thousand island dressing and half the corned beef.
Spread evenly.
Repeat another layer with the same ingredients.
Step #3: In a large bowl, toss the rye bread cubes with melted butter.
Step #4: Sprinkle the buttered bread cubes over the casserole.
Bake for 30-35 until bread cubes are toasted and casserole is heated through.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
📖 Variations
Make it low carb by omitting the rye bread croutons on top.
Love all things reuben? Try making this hot reuben dip!
🍽 What to serve with reuben casserole
You can round out this hearty casserole with vegetables like steamed green beans or broccoli for a little green and a dose of fiber!
Top tip
Draining Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut contains liquid, and excess moisture in the casserole can affect its texture. Before adding sauerkraut to the casserole, drain it well to remove excess liquid.
You can use a fine-mesh strainer or simply press the sauerkraut between paper towels. This step helps prevent the casserole from becoming too soggy during baking.
How to reheat leftovers
Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for 3-4 days. To reheat, bake in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or heat individual portions in the microwave.
If you tried reuben casserole or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Baked Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound sauerkraut well drained
- ¼ cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- 8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
- ⅔ cup thousand island dressing
- 12 ounces cooked corned beef diced
- 6 ounces rye bread cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch casserole dish. Set aside.1 pound sauerkraut, ¼ cup yellow onion, 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- In a large bowl, combine drained sauerkraut, onion and caraway seed.Add half the sauerkraut mixture to the casserole dish and evenly spread.
- Top with half the shredded cheese, ⅓ cup thousand island dressing and half the corned beef. Spread evenly.
- Spread the remaining sauerkraut mixture over the top.Layer the remaining cheese, ⅓ cup thousand island dressing and remaining corned beef.
- In a large bowl, toss the rye bread cubes with melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered bread cubes over the casserole.Bake for 30-35 until bread cubes are toasted and casserole is heated through.Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.6 ounces rye bread, ¼ cup unsalted butter
Notes
- Sauerkraut can be canned, jarred or in a bag.
- Celery seed can be used in place of caraway seed or can be omitted
- French dressing can be used in place of thousand island dressing *though I really prefer the thousand island.
- This is a great way to use leftover corned beef. You can also get corned beef from the deli.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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