Pastrami or Corned Beef?
I actually enjoy both. I believe the traditional Reuben sandwich is made with corned beef. However, my understanding of them both is rudimentary and limited to Wikipedia. 😉 But my basic understanding in their difference is how they are cooked. Corned beef is boiled and pastrami is smoked. They are both brined beforehand. Additional seasoning is also put in that brine (which is basically salt, water and sugar) where it soaks for a long period of time. Then more seasoning is added to the pastrami before it is smoked. They are usually from the same cuts of beef (the brisket cut) but I also read that pastrami can come from other cuts as well. 
Big ole reuben sandwich!
When I was deciding on whether I wanted to use corned beef or pastrami in this recipe – I decided to go to the deli counter at Kroger and taste test a few. The corned beef they had was decent but the pastrami was way better (in my humble opinion.) So I went with pastrami.
Baked Reuben Casserole
But, of course, you can go with whatever you enjoy in this. It all works! I absolutely love a good Reuben sandwich. This casserole is like a giant, warm Reuben sandwich that you can eat with a fork. So good!
Ingredients:
6 slices rye bread (dark or light), divided use
1 pound thinly sliced pastrami or corned beef, divided use
1 (14.5 oz.) can or jar sauerkraut, drained well
4 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided use
2 tsp. caraway seeds, divided use
1 cup chopped dill pickles
1 cup milk
3 large Eggland’s Best eggs, beaten
⅓ cup thousand island dressing
¼ cup mustard
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Spray 11×7 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Take four slices of rye bread and cut them into 2-inch cubes.
Place remaining slices of rye bread into food processor and pulse into fine breadcrumbs and set aside.
Spread cubed bread into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Cover evenly with half of the pastrami.
Then evenly top with drained sauerkraut, chopped pickles and 1 tsp. caraway seeds.
Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese on top of sauerkraut layer.
Next, top with remaining pastrami. I gently push down to help compact it all a bit.
Sprinkle remaining 2 cups Swiss cheese and 1 tsp. caraway seeds on top of pastrami.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, thousand island dressing and mustard.
Pour mixture evenly over the casserole.
Top with breadcrumbs.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve.
Enjoy!
Baked Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 slices rye bread (dark or light) divided use
- 1 pound thinly sliced pastrami or corned beef divided use
- 1 14.5 oz can or jar sauerkraut drained well
- 4 cups shredded Swiss cheese divided use
- 2 tsp caraway seeds divided use
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 1 cup milk
- 3 large eggs beaten
- ⅓ cup thousand island dressing
- ¼ cup mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Spray 11x7 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Take four slices of rye bread and cut them into 2-inch cubes.
- Place remaining slices of rye bread into food processor and pulse into fine breadcrumbs and set aside.
- Spread cubed bread into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Cover evenly with half of the pastrami.
- Then evenly top with drained sauerkraut, chopped pickles and 1 tsp. caraway seeds.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese on top of sauerkraut layer.
- Next, top with remaining pastrami. I gently push down to help compact it all a bit.
- Sprinkle remaining 2 cups Swiss cheese and 1 tsp. caraway seeds on top of pastrami.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, thousand island dressing and mustard.
- Pour mixture evenly over the casserole.
- Top with breadcrumbs.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve.
Linda says
November 7, 2018 at 3:48 pmI’ve made this 2 times with pastrami and corned beef added a little horseradish sauce to my homemade thousand island dressing. Always double recipe to take to church, just changed it up tonight made a Rachael casserole with turkey breast I had left over.. Personally I like Rachael better. Haven’t eaten yet but I imagine it will be excellent as the other 2 times it got rave reviews..
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
November 8, 2018 at 8:39 amYay!! Thanks so much Linda!!
Loretta says
December 3, 2018 at 5:55 pmCan this be made in a crock pot?
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
December 4, 2018 at 9:29 amI’ve never tried it but if you do, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Husband does the cooking says
January 17, 2019 at 8:09 pmFollowed recipe exactly as written and it came out perfectly, just like the photo.
If you’re a Reuben lover and a casserole fan, this recipe is for you. This tastes just like a Reuben and is delicious.
Now I have a go to recipe for left over corned beef.
Thank you for the recipe, this ones a keeper for sure!
Sherri says
February 27, 2019 at 11:40 amThis is an amazing casserole !!
Jude McFadden says
March 3, 2019 at 3:20 pmSounds YUM ! Think I will try Bread/ Butter pickles instead
Maren says
March 7, 2019 at 11:49 amWhat kind of mustard is used? Prepared? Yellow or Dijon? Can dry mustard be used? How much?
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
March 8, 2019 at 11:53 amHi Maren, not sure if you can see in my photo above but I used regular yellow. However if you have a preference for dijon or brown mustard, feel free to use those. I have never tried this with dry mustard. 🙂
Marian says
March 13, 2019 at 7:51 pmI had a similier recipe but it was made with corn beef and the top was mashed potatoes. Can’t find it anywhere. Have you heard of this recipe? if so, can you repost?
Linda says
March 16, 2019 at 12:17 pmI don’t have a food processor. Would a blender work or should I ready made bread crumbs/panko?
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
March 16, 2019 at 12:44 pmLinda, a blender should work 🙂 You just want to make sure the blades are sharp.
Ellen B Keating says
March 17, 2019 at 12:44 pmDo you pre-cook the corned beef?
Dey says
March 17, 2019 at 1:59 pmRecipe is great and was a family hit! I smoked the corn beef on a green egg first. We liked the pickles in the sauerkraut. Delicious.
Lynn says
April 13, 2019 at 9:20 pmLoved the casserole but no way would this fit in an 11X7 dish. This just fit in a 9X13 pan.
I made croutons in the oven with six slices of rye bread and a bit of olive oil for the bottom and they didn’t get soggy as someone stayed in an earlier post. Also used 3 slices of rye crumbed in food processor on the top. Everyone wanted the recipe after eating it!
Will be keeping this one, and may never make a sandwich Reuben again. 😊
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
April 14, 2019 at 11:04 amHi Lynn! Thanks so much for the feedback. I definitely appreciate it!! So glad you liked this recipe 🙂
Nancy says
May 9, 2019 at 9:27 amI made this last night and it was so good my husband and I had seconds, and I don’t care for Reuben sandwiches! The only difference was that I used corned beef sliced med-thin from the deli, and slices of provolone cheese instead of swiss. I ran out of provolone so one layer was Muenster cheese. It baked for about an hour, as I had used a glass baking dish and only had the oven @325. Also I only had a tiny can of sauerkraut but it worked out beautifully. It was easy to make. And yummy!
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
May 9, 2019 at 9:32 pmHi Nancy! That is SO funny! I don’t really care for Reuben sandwiches either but I really liked this too! So happy to hear you loved it. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!