Layer and Bake Reuben Casserole
There aren’t a ton of recipes out there as easy as this layer and bake reuben casserole–and even fewer that taste so good with so little work. Thanks to some good quality store shortcuts, you can assemble and bake this one pan replica of your favorite sandwich in under 30 minutes.
Do you know about the joys of a Reuben sandwich? If not, let me break it down for ‘ya: It sort of sounds disgusting if you aren’t familiar with the ingredients but if you’ll trust me on this I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
A Reuben is a hot sandwich usually made with rye or pumpernickel bread, thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and shaved corned beef (a specially seasoned and cooked roast beef). And when you put all this together? It’s just something to behold.
If you want to try the sandwiches, you can check out my recipe for Baked Reubens or you can make this new version in your sleep–there’s basically no prep whatsoever and hopefully you’ll get the happy response from my family that I did.
Sure, there was some threatening prompting for the kids but my son who was sure I’d lost my mind for even suggesting that he eat it, took one bite and perked right up. “Oh man that’s good!” And then ate four plates worth.
We’re all or nothin’ around here apparently.
And my husband labeled this layer and bake reuben casserole as “the best new thing you’ve made in months:” Score.
So what do you need to know to make your layer and bake reuben casserole?
First, you’ll need to make fresh bread crumbs for the topping. You can do this by running a couple of slices of rye bread through your food processor. Easy.
Next, buy your corned beef shaved in the deli. You can shred it a bit more with your fingers when you layer it in the pan.
This recipe uses Thousand Island dressing. If you want to make your own with ketchup, mayo and pickle relish go for it. I bought mine.
Layer on plenty of swiss cheese. Just use slices right out of the package.
And you’ll want to drain some (but not all) of the liquid from your kraut. I think having it all in the dish makes it too wet (see image below), but you will need some of the liquid so drain responsibly.
Here’s your recipe:
Layer and Bake Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fresh rye bread crumbs (see below)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup thousand island dressing
- 16 ounces sauerkraut
- 1/2 pound shredded deli corned beef
- 2 cups swiss cheese shredded or slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- In a food processor, place 2 to 3 slices of rye bread. Pulse until small crumbs form. Measure out 3/4 cup and add the melted butter. Stir well and set aside.
- Drain half the liquid from the sauerkraut and layer it in the bottom of a 2.5 quart baking dish.
- Layer on the shredded corned beef over the sauerkraut.
- In a small bowl mix together the mayo and the Thousand Island dressing. Spread as evenly as you can over the corned beef.
- Top with a layer of Swiss cheese slices or shredded cheese.
- Cover with the bread crumbs and bake 25-30 minutes until the cheese melts and everything is heated through. Serve warm.
Have made this several times – to say it’s delicious doesn’t give it enough credit. Yummy says it all. It’s a new favorite.
What is a good sauerkraut to buy? Thank you for sharing. 😊
Hey Lynn, I love raw sauerkraut with probiotics just to snack on (you’ll find it in the refrigerated section) but in this case since it’s getting heated, you’ll lose those probiotics and it’s not worth the cost when we cook out its benefits. Instead, I’d just choose a brand that is packaged in glass if you can find it. I think the ones in cans take on a metallic flavor. –Rachel
Would it be possible/advisable to assemble theses and freeze so you could take them later to bake? That would go even farther to easing week night hassles.
Hey Ginny,
You know, I don’t know why not. You may have a slightly unpredictable spot here and there–like what the Thousand Island dressing will do when it thaws. Will it split? I have no idea. And the only part I wouldn’t add is the bread crumbs. I’d save that for when it was time to put the dish in the oven OR freeze them wrapped separately so you can just sprinkle them on when you’re ready to bake and help prevent them from going soggy. Let me know if you try it. I’d love to hear the outcome.–Rachel
So much easier than making sandwiches!
Looks good. I Will Have To try!
This sounds delicious Rachel! I will be adding this to my go to recipes. I am sure it will be one of my husbands favorites!