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Baked Reuben Casserole is made with layers of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, rye bread and creamy dressing. All the delicious flavors of the classic sandwich in a casserole! This family favorite comfort food is perfect for a quick dinner on St. Patrick’s Day.
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Easy Reuben Casserole Recipe
If you like reuben sandwiches, you’ll love this easy reuben casserole. It has everything you find in a classic Reuben sandwich — tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye. The only difference is that you add everything to a casserole dish and bake it!
I found this easy recipe in my mom’s old collection a few years ago, and it’s one of our favorite ways to enjoy the flavors of a Reuben sandwich. Less mess, too!
You can make this corned beef and sauerkraut casserole for St. Patrick’s Day dinner instead of a traditional corned beef dinner. It’s a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love. Add french fries, a dill pickle spear and maybe a simple salad for a complete meal.
Or, use leftover corned beef to make this layered casserole bake the next day. Basically, all you do is assemble the ingredients in a baking pan, bake it, and you’re done. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this hearty casserole recipe. They should be easy to find in your grocery store or online. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Sauerkraut – from a jar or a bag
- Ground black pepper
- Sea salt
- Sliced corned beef — leftover corned beef or sliced meat from the deli counter
- Swiss cheese — either shredded Swiss cheese or sliced Swiss cheese works
- Thousand Island dressing
- Rye bread — with caraway seeds or without
- Butter
How to Make Reuben Casserole
First, you want to pre heat the oven to 350 degrees f. Then, grease the casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Next, rinse and drain your sauerkraut. I do the same when I make kielbasa and sauerkraut since we like it less sour. You can skip the rinsing if you prefer a stronger flavor.
I also squeeze out extra liquid before adding the sauerkraut to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Excess liquid will make the casserole soggy.
I like to add salt and pepper to the layer of sauerkraut, since I like to season each layer. And, I just think that fermented cabbage tastes so much better when it has some salt and pepper added!
Corned beef is salty, so you can omit the salt if you like.
Next, place the sliced corned beef in an even layer over the sauerkraut.
The original recipe for corned beef casserole didn’t specify the amount of cheese and dressing to use, so I just guessed.
My version uses sliced Swiss cheese, but you can use shredded cheese if you want. The only thing that really matters is that the cheese goes over the corned beef.
Then, spread the Thousand Island dressing over the cheese.
I used Russian rye bread to top off the casserole and mimic the sandwich.
And, because I didn’t want the bread to be too dry, I added some melted butter over the top.
The original rueben casserole recipe called for bread crumbs, but I just tore the slices of rye bread into large pieces, which was so much easier!
The slices work just fine, but if you want to be more precise, cut the bread into rye bread cubes instead. 2-inch cubes are perfect!
Cooking Time
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until it is bubbling and the bread is a light golden brown.
I always bake corned beef casserole uncovered, but if the bread is getting too dark, you can cover it with aluminum foil until the entire casserole is done.
Variations and Substitutions
There are a couple great ways to customize this delicious reuben casserole to your liking! I like to use Russian rye, but any kind of rye–dark or light rye bread–will work. Pumpernickel bread is also a favorite!
Instead of store-bought thousand island dressing, add your favorite sandwich sauce. Russian dressing and mustard both pair well with the tangy sauerkraut. You can make this a low carb casserole by omitting the bread and using keto-friendly dressing.
Substitute provolone cheese, cheddar cheese, or a blend of cheeses for the Swiss.
For a little extra texture, add a layer of rye bread or bread crumbs at the bottom of the pan. This will also help hold your casserole together better! Or, throw some caraway seeds on top of the casserole.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover reuben casserole in an airtight container or in the baking dish covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, where it’ll last for 3 to 4 days.
For longer storage, you could freeze the casserole, but the bread might get soggy if you do this. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Easy Baked Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound sauerkraut, rinsed and drained, with most of the liquid squeezed out
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound sliced corned beef, torn into large pieces
- 12 slices Swiss cheese
- ¼ cup Thousand Island dressing
- 6 slices rye bread, torn into smaller pieces
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, oil or butter
- Spread the sauerkraut evenly over the bottom of the baking dish, and season with sea salt and pepper
- Layer the corned beef over the sauerkraut
- Layer the Swiss cheese over the beef
- Spread the dressing evenly over the cheese, and top with rye bread
- Drizzle the melted butter over the bread
- Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven, slice, and serve warm
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Baked casseroles are great for making ahead of time–it’s just so easy to grab some leftovers for a quick meal on busy weeknights!
For more easy recipes, more delicious casseroles like my baked pierogi casserole and more easy dinners, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter and follow me on social media!
If you love this corned beef recipe as much as we do, please leave a star rating and comment!
Happy Cooking,
First published in 2017 and updated in 2024.
I have a daughter that doesn’t like corned beef. Weird kid (adult) but thought I’d make this using leftover baked ham instead.
That sounds like a great idea!
My favorite! Now I can make it to share! You have to try this!
I used a smaller dish so I doubled the layers. Added caraway seeds to the saurkraut, and broke up pieces of Irish soda bread rather than any other kind. . My family loved it…even those who are not. Saurkraut fans!
That sounds so good! Thank you for sharing!
Would this be good if you went ahead and put on bread as a sandwich, so people could choose?
You could make a sandwich with the meat and sauerkraut, if that’s what you’re asking. You can use any type of bread for the casserole.
No rueben sandwich is complete without a dill pickle and some chips. The crushed potato chips sound like a good crunchy top. Where to incorporate the pickles?
We usually just serve pickles on the side. 🙂
We decided the next time we make it we are going to add a mayo/horseradish sauce between the beef and swiss cheese.
Otherwise it was well received by our dinner party.
Thank you.
That sounds so good! Thanks, Candy!
This was so delicious!! I used up St. Patty’s Day corned beef and cabbage! I melted a TB of butter in the baking pan then added torn up dinner rolls, and sprinkled some caraway seeds over the bread. Then I layered cooked chopped cabbage, sliced corned beef, provolone cheese, Thousand Island dressing (had to make some) and topped with more bread crumbs (torn up roll) with caraway seeds. Topped it of with some melted butter. Wow was it crispy, crunchy, cheesey, and wonderful! Best way ever to use up leftovers! Great recipe!!!
Thanks so much! It’s my favorite way to use up corned beef. 🙂
Can this be made ahead and refrigerate until baking time?
I’ve never done that, but you should be able to make it ahead of time without any problems. 🙂
Did you bake covered or uncovered?
I baked the casserole uncovered.
This is a delicious recipe. The only thing I do differently is change the layering. I add the Thousand Island dressing over the corned beef and then the cheese. I place the bread cubes on the cheese. They stick to the cheese and crust up nicely. Enjoy.
That sounds good to me! I’ll have to try that next time. 🙂
We used to use a lot of canned corned beef when I was growing up in Hawaii. Just wondering if that could be used instead just crumbled. Would probably take two cans. I think I’m going to give it a try since I have that in my pantry. My husband loves corned beef and especially a Reuben
I love all that Reuben goodness in one casserole, awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday! Have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen