Reuben Casserole

Name: Reuben Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: ½ cup 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; 10 slices rye bread (divided); 1 pound corned beef (divided); 4 cups shredded swiss cheese (divided); 1 ½ cups sauerkraut (drained well); 1 cup chopped dill pickles

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By: Diana Posted: 2/3/25

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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!

A spatula lifting a corner piece of homemade Reuben casserole with marble rye bread crumbs out of a white casserole dish.

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.

A square slice of reuben casserole on a white plate. There are layers of sliced corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and rye breadcrumbs.

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:

Ingredients for Reuben Casserole in small bowls on a marble surface, including deli corned beef, rye bread, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut.

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

ingredients for Reuben sauce in a small glass bowl, including mayo, ketchup, onion, and horseradish. — 1. **Add Sauce Ingredients** to a mixing bowl.

Mayo based sauce for Reuben casserole in a small glass bowl with a whisk. — 2. **Mix Well** with a whisk.

slices of marble rye bread cut into cubes. — 3. **Chop** 6 of the rye bread slices into bite-sized cubes.

Marble rye bread in a food processor, chopped coarsely to make large crumbs. — 4. **Pulse** the remaining bread in a food processor until it’s mostly crumbs with some larger pieces.

Cubes of marble rye bread in a 9x13 pan to make the base layer for a Reuben casserole. — 5. **Spread Bread Cubes** into the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Layers of corned beef in a casserole pan. — 6. **Layer** with half of the corned beef slices.

Layers of corned beef and swiss cheese in a casserole pan. — 7. **Cover** the corned beef with half of the swiss cheese.

Chopped pickles and sauerkraut layered over corned beef and swiss to create reuben casserole in a 9x13 pan. — 8. **Add the Sauerkraut** and pickles.

Slices of deli corned beef layered into a casserole dish. — 9. **Add** the rest of the corned beef.

Layers of corned beef and shredded cheese in a white rectangular casserole dish. — 10. **Sprinkle** on the remaining cheese.

Reuben sauce poured over reuben casserole in a white ceramic pan. — 11. **Pour** **the Sauce** over the top of the casserole.

Reuben casserole in a rectangle pan, topped with marble rye bread crumbs. — 12. **Sprinkle** with the bread crumbs.

Browned, bake Reuben casserole in a pan, topped with rye bread crumbs. — 13. **Bake, Covered** for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Tip!

Before slicing into your casserole, let it cool for at least 5 minutes. This will make it easier to serve cleanly.

A white rectangular casserole dish of Reuben Casserole topped with marble rye bread crumbs and chopped parsley. Next to the pan is a serving spoon and a piece of swiss cheese.

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.

Closeup of a fork eating reuben casserole with sauerkraut, corned beef, and rye crumbs.

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.

A serving of layered Reuben sandwich casserole with corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, topped with rye breadcrumbs, on a small white plate.

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.