Reuben Casserole Recipe - A New Spin on a Classic Sandwich (2024)

FAQs

What was on the original Reuben sandwich? ›

He decided to try something new for his friends and put together the first reuben sandwich using swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, and his special deli sauce on rye. It was such a big hit with his poker group, he decided to include it on the menu of a nearby hotel and it grew in popularity ever since.

Both kinds of meat are cured, but pastrami is then coated with a flavorful spice rub and smoked. Why is my Reuben sandwich soggy? The culprit is most likely the sauerkraut. Be sure to drain off as much liquid as possible from the sauerkraut before piling it onto your Reuben sandwich to prevent any sogginess.

One key step no matter what is to pre-heat both the corned beef and the sauerkraut, so that you're not trying to warm through the entire jam-packed sandwich and instead are just trying to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

The key to a good casserole is the sauce or broth that binds those ingredients together as they bubble in the oven, allowing the flavors to meld together into a harmonious, comforting meal. This can be something as simple as the McCormick Brown Gravy Mix used in this tasty Hamburger Casserole dish.

According to Omaha lore, the Reuben Sandwich was dreamed up at Omaha's Blackstone Hotel in 1925 by Reuben Kulakofsky, a local grocer, to feed a group of late-night poker players. Charles Schimmel, one of the players and the hotel's owner, liked it so much he put it on the menu of The Plush Horse, the hotel restaurant.

The Rachel sandwich is one of several variations on the famous sandwich. Instead of the classic corned beef and sauerkraut, the Rachel is usually made with turkey or pastrami and coleslaw. Both sandwiches are made with Swiss cheese and rye bread.

A Reuben sandwich is typically made with corned beef. It would taste great with pastrami too, it just wouldn't be a classic Reuben! Bottom line: You can't go wrong with either of these flavor-packed deli meats.

Place each of the slices of bread with dressing, buttered-side out on top of the slices of bread topped with corned beef. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook until golden and toasted, about 5 minutes, using a spatula to press down a few times.

Tempeh, seitan, vegetables and mushrooms have stood in for the corned beef, but they're not really needed, because outsize quantities of the other traditional elements make a punchy, gooey sandwich on their own. Both sides of the buttered rye get melted Swiss.

With Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and corned beef all on rye bread, this may sound like a schmorgesborg of ingredients, but the flavors marry perfectly. A Reuben can be served cold, but it's far better when it is served hot like the recipe calls for.

What's better on a Reuben Thousand Island or Russian dressing? ›

The classic Reuben sandwich is dressed with Russian dressing not mustard. Thousand island dressing is similar enough to Russian dressing that it is often substituted for it. The main difference is that Russian dressing has a little horseradish in it and thousand island dressing doesn't.

Liquid for casseroles

Bone stock is good for beef casseroles, but failing that plain hot water enriched with a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and mushroom ketchup makes a handy instant stock. Red or white wine will add extra flavour of its own, and its acidity will actually help to tenderise the meat as it cooks.

Meat know how

If you coat it too early, the moisture in the meat absorbs the flour and spoils the texture of the casserole. Begin by browning the meat or chicken, separately, before adding vegetables, liquids and herbs. This seals in the juices and adds flavour.

Try different herbs for added flavour: sage or lemon thyme work wonderfully well. For a meatier casserole, add chopped sausage or pancetta when cooking the chicken. Stir wholegrain mustard through the casserole at the end of cooking (to taste); this is especially good if you have sausage in the casserole.

A traditional reuben sandwich consists of thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut on rye bread slathered with Russian or Thousand Island dressing.

A Reuben sandwich is typically made with corned beef. It would taste great with pastrami too, it just wouldn't be a classic Reuben! Bottom line: You can't go wrong with either of these flavor-packed deli meats.

The ingredient that differentiates Russian dressing from Thousand Island is—drumroll, please—horseradish. When you have Russian dressing accenting a hearty sandwich like a Reuben, the horseradish can be hard to detect, especially when you've got the sharp, funky flavors of sauerkraut to contend with.

Perhaps owing to its absence of an exact origin story, the Rachel is certainly more of a pliable sandwich than the classic Reuben as far as ingredients are concerned. The first major difference is that the Rachel swaps brisket-based corned beef for pastrami, which comes from a comparatively leaner cut of the cow.