Reuben Casserole Recipe with Fresh Milled Rye Bread
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I love reuben sandwiches. I don’t love making reubens for the whole family. My fix to that? Hacking everything up into a casserole… which, if I’m being honest, is probably better anyway! It has all the flavors of a reuben sandwich smashed into a delicious reuben casserole. Tangy sauerkraut I fermented myself (and canned some of it) from cabbage grown in my garden, along with corned beef brisket I made myself from beef grown right here on the farm, and topped with cubes of homemade fresh milled rye bread, and smothered in homemade goat milk mozzarella or havarti. I then top with homemade russian dressing, and BOOM, the best and most homemade casserole possible! Like seriously. This casserole form of my favorite sandwich is a labor of love, but it is so so so so goooood. It’s simple and it’ll hit the spot when you’re craving a reuben every time. And it’s great to assemble ahead of time using leftover corned beef from st patrick’s day and throw in the freezer for an easy dinner later on.
Every single homemade recipe that I use in this casserole will be linked in the ingredients portion of the printable recipe card for you to find, so you can stock your larder to make delicious meals.
Russian Dressing
I typically make more of a thousand island dressing than a russian dressing probably but I never really know what to call it. I do believe Russian dressing normally has horseradish in that, which I love, but my kids would NOT touch that. Issss spicccyyyy maahmmmm. You know. So the easy recipe given in the ingredients is the sauce I make for this casserole, but you could use about 3/4 cup of whatever the heck dressing you want to for your reuben casserole. I won’t be mad :)
Let’s make a hearty casserole!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Fine mesh strainer
- 9×13 baking pan
- Oven
Ingredients:
- 1-2 quarts sauerkraut
- 1 pint corned beef
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup home canned ketchup
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 pound homemade goat milk mozzarella (or havartia, swiss)
- 1 loaf homemade sourdough discard rye bread
- 1/2 pint canned butter (or 1 stick)
Step 1: Prep
Start by draining the excess liquid from the sauerkraut well. Too much juice left behind makes for a really soggy casserole.
​Drain the corned beef as well and shred up better if it’s not already.
Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl: mayo, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and onion powder.
Shred your cheese of choice.
Cut slices of rye bread and then cube those into small, bit sized cubes. About 1 to 2-inch cubes will do.
Place the butter over low heat and melt.
Step 2: Assemble
Preheat oven to 350F.
Start by greasing your 9×13 casserole dish with tallow or whatever the heck grease or oil you want.
To the bottom of the prepared baking dish, add in the drained sauerkraut. I normally use 2 quarts of kraut, but I know that would probably be too much for some people, so eyeball it for yourself.
Layer the corned beef over top, followed by the dressing and shredded cheese.
In a separate bowl, drizzle the butter over the cubed bread and toss to coat.
Top the casserole with the rye bread cubes and press it down firmly with your hands. You want to to squish together pretty firmly. This makes it kinda come out in a nice square after it bakes as opposed to falling apart, so be aggressive, B-E AGGRESSIVE!
Step 3: Bake
Bake the casserole, covered with aluminum foil, at 350 for about 40 minutes, or til heated through and the edges and cheese are bubbling. Remove the cover and bake about 10 more minutes, or til the bread is golden brown and toasted.
Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.
​To Serve:
Cut into serving size squares and drizzle with extra dressing if desired (it’s realllly good that way). Serve with green beans or french fries for the whole reuben experience.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within a few days or flash freeze the leftovers in individual portions for easy lunches!
Enjoy!
Notes:
If you have canned sauerkraut, use that instead of fermented sauerkraut since we’re heating it and killing off the probiotics anyway. That’s why I can sauerkraut AND ferment it; two different applications.
Feel free to sprinkle the top with caraway seeds for an extra rye flavor.
I hope you enjoy this easy reuben casserole; a complete meal with all the flavor of a reuben sandwich smashed into a casserole dish and baked to perfection.
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
- oven
Ingredients
- 1-2 quarts sauerkraut
- 1 pint corned beef
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup home canned ketchup
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 pound homemade goat milk mozzarella or havartia, swiss
- 1 loaf homemade sourdough discard rye bread
- 1/2 pint canned butter or 1 stick
Instructions
- Start by draining the excess liquid from the sauerkraut well. Too much juice left behind makes for a really soggy casserole.
- Drain the corned beef as well and shred up better if it’s not already.
- Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl: mayo, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and onion powder.
- Shred your cheese of choice.
- Cut slices of rye bread and then cube those into small, bit sized cubes. About 1 to 2-inch cubes will do.
- Place the butter over low heat and melt.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Start by greasing your 9×13 casserole dish with tallow or whatever the heck grease or oil you want.
- To the bottom of the prepared baking dish, add in the drained sauerkraut. I normally use 2 quarts of kraut, but I know that would probably be too much for some people, so eyeball it for yourself.
- Layer the corned beef over top, followed by the dressing and shredded cheese.
- In a separate bowl, drizzle the butter over the cubed bread and toss to coat.
- Top the casserole with the rye bread cubes and press it down firmly with your hands. You want to to squish together pretty firmly. This makes it kinda come out in a nice square after it bakes as opposed to falling apart, so be aggressive, B-E AGGRESSIVE!
- Bake the casserole, covered with aluminum foil, at 350 for about 40 minutes, or til heated through and the edges and cheese are bubbling. Remove the cover and bake about 10 more minutes, or til the bread is golden brown and toasted.
- Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.
To Serve
- Cut into serving size squares and drizzle with extra dressing if desired (it’s realllly good that way). Serve with green beans or french fries for the whole reuben experience.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within a few days or flash freeze the leftovers in individual portions for easy lunches!
