This easy layered Reuben Casserole has all of the delicious flavors of Reuben Sandwiches packed into a comforting casserole that can be ready in just an hour!
The Reuben Sandwich is an American classic, and known for its special combination of rye bread, corned beef, melty Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a creamy, tangy sauce.
This casserole recipe takes all of that and turns it into a comforting, tasty casserole, that’s much faster to make than grilling up sandwiches for the whole family.
With just 15-20 minutes of hands-on prep time, the oven does most of the work here. In an hour you’ll be ready to eat, and I know that you’ll be happy you tried this recipe!
If you love the flavors of this recipe, try my Reuben Eggrolls! They make a fun and tasty party appetizer.
Corned Beef Casserole Recipe Highlights
- Simple Ingredients – While you will need to pick up some things that might not be every week groceries, most of what you need for the sauce is already in your pantry, and we aren’t using bottled salad dressing at all!
- Traditional Flavors – All of the flavors you would expect from a toasty, melty Reuben are here in this baked dish, from the corned beef to the swiss cheese, to the rye bread.
- Fun for St. Patrick’s Day – If your tired of the same old Corned Beef St. Patrick’s day dinner, this casserole is a fun way to change things up.
Reuben Casserole Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious corned beef casserole:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Rye Bread: Marbled rye or swirled rye is my choice here, because I love the pretty pattern! You can just as easily make this with light rye bread or dark rye though – use whatever your grocery store bakery has.
- Corned Beef: You can make this with leftover Instant Pot corned beef or deli corned beef from the store. Just make sure that it’s very thinly sliced. Pastrami also works well if that’s what you have.
- Swiss Cheese: Buy blocks of swiss cheese and grate them yourself rather than using pre-shredded stuff. The flavor and texture will be so much better.
- Sauerkraut: The delicious tangy topping of a Reuben makes up the center layer of our casserole, along with crunchy chopped dill pickles.
- Reuben Sauce: I make my own Russian dressing rather than buying bottled Thousand Island dressing. It’s an easy mayo and ketchup-based sauce, kicked up with prepared horseradish, grated onion, and spices. It’s the same as the sauce I use for my easy Reuben Sandwich Recipe.
- Eggs: Because we’re making a casserole, we need to mix in eggs with the sauce. This will help it to thicken up while baking, and bind the casserole together.
How To Make Corned Beef Casserole
Tip!
Before slicing into your casserole, let it cool for at least 5 minutes. This will make it easier to serve cleanly.
Recipe Tips
- Prepare your Casserole Pan. To make the servings easy to remove from the pan, grease the pan first, then add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom and sides. Nothing will stick, and clean-up will be super easy.
- Making the Bread Crumbs. To give the topping a great texture, don’t process the bread too finely. Leave it as unevenly sized crumbs instead.
- Make a Smaller Portion. If you’re cooking for fewer people, divide the recipe by half and bake it in an 8×8-inch pan.
- Bake Covered with Foil. To keep the foil from sticking, spray the underside of it lightly with cooking spray first.
- For a Low-Carb or Keto Reuben Casserole, skip the bread! Layer the other ingredients into a lined baking dish, and add an extra layer of cheese to the top.
- Not a fan of sauerkraut? You can leave it out. This would become a Rachel sandwich casserole instead.
- Add More Flavor: Sprinkle the top of the casserole with caraway seeds to give the bread topping even more of that classic rye flavor.
Storing Tips
You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven for 10-15 minutes to let the cheese melt and the topping crisp up again.
Freezing leftovers isn’t ideal as it will change the texture of the sauce and the sauerkraut will get watery.
What To Serve With Reuben Casserole?
So many side dishes would be perfect here! I like to add a veggie, like roasted broccoli and carrots, air fryer vegetables, or a simple tossed green salad.
For dessert, try some homemade Irish Soda Bread, or a tasty Shamrock Shake.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
Definitely! Assemble the casserole, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for up to a day. Bake as directed about an hour before you’re ready to serve dinner. This is especially helpful if you’re entertaining!
Can I make this with Thousand Island Dressing?
You can use bottled dressing if you like, but I think that my homemade Reuben sauce has way more flavor.
Why is it called a Reuben?
The history of this tasty sandwich is not entirely clear, but the name seems to have come from Ruben’s Delicatessen in New York City. Arnold Ruben started serving this sandwich all the way back in the mid-1930s!
Another theory is that this sandwich originated in Nebraska, where a regular hotel customer ordered a corned beef sandwich every week. His name was Reuben, and so that’s how the sandwich got its name.
More Casserole Recipes
All Casseroles →
Save this easy Reuben Casserole recipe! It is the perfect thing for St. Patrick’s day, or any time you’re in the mood for a delicious and comforting meal.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
Sauce:
- ½ cup (125 g) mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Casserole:
- 10 slices rye bread divided
- 1 pound (450 g) corned beef divided
- 4 cups (450 g) shredded swiss cheese divided
- 1 ½ cups sauerkraut drained well
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
Instructions
Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, ketchup, grated onion, horseradish, worcestershire sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, salt, pepper until well combined
- Add the eggs and beat in until smooth; set aside until needed.
Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C or 170° C for a fan oven). Grease a 9×13 inch (approximately 23×33 cm) casserole dish and line it with parchment if desired.
- Chop 6 of the slices of rye bread into bite size cubes, then spread onto the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Top with half the corned beef, followed by half the swiss cheese, followed by the sauerkraut, then the dill pickles. Top with the remaining corned beef, then the remaining swiss cheese.
- Evenly pour the prepared sauce over the top of the casserole.
- Place the remaining 4 slices of bread into a food processor and pulse until its mostly crumbs with some larger pieces. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
- Wrap with foil, then bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving
Notes:
- Prepare your Casserole Pan. To make the servings easy to remove from the pan, grease the pan first, then add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom and sides. Nothing will stick, and clean-up will be super easy.
- Making the Bread Crumbs. To give the topping a great texture, don’t process the bread too finely. Leave it as unevenly sized crumbs instead.
- Make a Smaller Portion. If you’re cooking for fewer people, divide the recipe by half and bake it in an 8×8-inch pan.
- Bake Covered with Foil. To keep the foil from sticking, spray the underside of it lightly with cooking spray first.
- For a Low-Carb or Keto Reuben Casserole, skip the bread! Layer the other ingredients into a lined baking dish, and add an extra layer of cheese to the top.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Tish says
We loved this Reuben Casserole!! We made it as one of our St. Patty’s Week recipes. It was not hard to make and it baked up very quickly. We made it exactly as written. I have sent this recipe to several of my Reuben-loving friends to share this quicker, easier way to make a bunch of sandwiches at once. I always love Little Sunny Kitchen recipes and this one is going to be on repeat! Thanks!!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Wow, Tish, this is such amazing feedback! Thank you so much. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe so much and shared it with your friends.
Carol A Phillips says
looks great
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy!
Mike says
this sounds awesome I will definitely try it
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks Mike, Enjoy!
Donna B. says
Rating this 5 stars in advance because I make a similar version, so I know this will be delicious! 😋
Question…
Being a “somewhat lazy” cook and always looking for a shortcut…do you think this would work if I beat the eggs with 1/2 C. or so of bottled “Thousand Island” salad dressing as a substitute for the “sauce” in your recipe??? 🤔
Little Sunny Kitchen says
That sounds like a smart shortcut! Enjoy!