Pastrami-Reuben Casserole

Submitted by Kittencalrecipezazz

"If you love reubens then this is for you! Thinly sliced leftover roast beef or steak may use in place of pastrami. You may double all amounts and make two layers if desired. Don't be shy with the dressing, sauerkraut and cheese--use as much as you want--the amounts stated are only a guideline, just make certain to use as much bread cubes as needed to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Place the cubes in the dish before baking just to be sure. Toasting the bread cubes prevents the bread from becoming soggy. You may skip this step if you wish, but the sauerkraut will need to to hand-squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible :)"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 8 slices dark pumpernickel bread (or use as much bread slices as needed to cover the bottom of the baking dish) or 8 slices rye bread (or use as much bread slices as needed to cover the bottom of the baking dish)
• soft butter
• 1 (16 ounce) can sauerkraut, well drained (you may rinse if desired)
• 1 lb pastrami (cut into strips, can use more or less than) or 1 lb corned beef (cut into strips, can use more or less than)
• 2 cups thousand island dressing (see my Kittencal's Thousand Island Dressing)
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese (can use more) or 2 cups mozzarella cheese (can use more)

directions

1. Set oven to 400°F.
2. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
3. Lightly butter both sides of the bread slices.
4. Slice in to about 1-1/2-inch cubes then place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake until semi-crisp, but NOT hard and brown.
6. Spread the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish.
7. Sprinkle the sauerkraut over the bread cubes.
8. Layer the beef strips evenly over the sauerkraut.
9. Pour the salad dressing completely over the top (you may use more than 2 cups if needed).
10. Cover with foil and bake 400°F (bottom oven rack) for 20-25 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese and continue to bake UNCOVERED for another 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Reviews

[dana01]

Great recipe! I thought I'd try it this way and it's fantastic! I've made this with the same ingredients but put together differently: drained sauerkraut on the bottom of the casserole dish, layered pastrami slices, 2 cups of thousand island dressing spread over the top, sliced/shredded mozerrella (or swiss depending on what I have on hand). Then top it with 1/2 loaf of cubed rye bread that is tossed with 1/4 cup of melted butter, then bake it all at once. When I pull this out of the oven, the bread cubes on top are nicely toasted. Either way you make it, it's so unbelievably good! Thanks so much for posting it! And thanks for the Thousand Island Dressing recipe too!

 

[Pamela G.]

Great Recipe, I made it for my card group, everyone loved it. I've downloaded some photos, however we were so anxious to try it, I failed to get a photo of the finished product. Just let me say, it was gorgeous! I used sliced cheese on top and it melted beautifully. I let it stand for about 10 mins before cutting it and each piece came out perfectly. I followed the rest of the recipe to a tee. I served a sweet coleslaw on the side and everybody went home with the recipe. I will do this one again!

 

[ChoCho]

Love it! What an easy way to make a rueben sandwich! I actually layered the sandwiches. Here's what I did: used a toaster to toast the bread, used non-stick sprayer for the casserole dish, tore a couple bread slices in cubes and added to the dish, added sauerkraut on top of bread, dressing, on top of sauerkraut, and finally pieces of corned beef & pastrami. Then layered the same way again. Totally forgot about the cheese. Popped it in the oven for a little bit and devoured it in minutes! Thanks for the great idea!