Mac & cheese meets Reuben sandwich in this creamy casserole!
Tender pasta, corned beef, fresh cabbage, and zesty sauerkraut tossed in a quick and easy homemade Swiss cheese sauce.
A Favorite Twist on a Reuben
- A Reuben noodle casserole is pure comfort food with all of the flavors of a classic Reuben sandwich in a warm, bubbly bake.
- This casserole is easy to make from scratch.
- Prepare this dish in advance and store it in the fridge for ready-to-bake weeknight meal..
- Top with chopped pickles, green onions, or a drizzle of Thousand Island dressing.
Ingredients in a Reuben Noodle Casserole
Corned Beef – If you happen to have leftover corned beef, it’s perfect for this recipe. If you don’t have leftovers, ask the deli counter to slice corned beef extra thick.
Cheese Sauce – The cheese sauce for this casserole sauce resembles mac and cheese with the flavors of a Reuben sandwich- Swiss cheese sauce, a bit of Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
Pasta & Cabbage – The base of this Reuben noodle casserole consists of pasta and cabbage. If you have leftover cabbage from corned beef, use that in place of fresh cabbage.
Variation
You can replace the pasta in this Reuben noodle casserole with 3 cups of leftover potatoes or diced boiled or fried potatoes. Add the potatoes to the casserole dish and layer the cooked cabbage, sauerkraut, and the onion/corned beef mixture on top. Pour the Swiss cheese sauce over top, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake until hot and bubbly!
How To Make a Reuben Noodle Casserole
- Cook onions and leftover corned beef (or ham in a pinch) in butter per the full recipe below.
- While the onions are cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.
- Boil pasta and cabbage and place them in a casserole dish. Add sauerkraut, the corned beef mixture, and the creamy Swiss cheese sauce.
- Top panko and parmesan to give it a crispy topping and bake until golden and bubbly.
TOPPING TIP: If you’d like to incorporate the flavor of rye bread, place a piece or two in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times until it forms crumbs, and use them in place of the panko.
Once it comes out of the oven, garnish with chopped dill pickles!
Leftovers
This reuben noodle casserole can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days & reheats well in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.
Add a splash of milk while reheating if you’d like it to be creamier.
More Corned Beef Faves
Did your family love this Reuben Noodle Casserole? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Reuben Noodle Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini
- 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces corned beef diced, about 2 cups
- 1 small onion chopped, about 1 cup
- 1 cup sauerkraut squeezed and chopped
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt more to taste
- 1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
For the Topping
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Cook the rotini in salted water according to the package directions (about 9 minutes). Add the cabbage during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain well, do not rinse, and set aside.
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Meanwhile, heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add corned beef and onion and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
For the Cheese Sauce
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Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth and milk, whisking after each addition.
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Add the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce. Continue whisking over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Let boil for 1 minute.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the swiss cheese until melted.
To Assemble
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In a large bowl, combine the pasta/cabbage mixture, sauerkraut, and the corned beef mixture. Add the sauce and mix well.
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Spread into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle over pasta.
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Bake uncovered for 18-22 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Notes
- Corned beef can be replaced with ham.
- Cabbage can be replaced with leftover cooked cabbage or
- Pasta can be replaced with 3 cups of cooked potatoes. Place warm cooked potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Fry the cabbage with the corned beef and onions. Once tender layer the corned beef mixture over the potatoes, pour the cheese sauce overtop and sprinkle with crumbs. Bake as directed.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine American
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I made this today. The only thing I changed was that I halved the recipe because there are only two of us and we’re not big eaters.
I absolutely loved it, I couldn’t stop eating it. My husband on the other hand, not so much. But, he doesn’t like anything.. lol…so his opinion doesn’t count.
If you like a reben sandwich you will like this. Great recipe, it’s a keeper. :)
Haha thanks for the giggle, Maxine I am so glad you enjoyed it, especially since it’s your opinion that counts
Can’t wait to make this. Getting my corned beef this weekend. Only thing I will leave out is the sauerkraut – just do not like that stuff. Will probably substitute just regular chopped cabbage.
Miss Holly I am so delighted with these so called weird recipes some of my family think they are. They are sooo delicious and healthy. Thank you
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Susan!
Tried with serving sauerkraut on the side and not incorporating it into the casserole. It did not work for our family. Disappointing, it sounded really good!!
Sauerkraut is a unique taste, so we understand, but this casserole is still delicious even without it. You can also replace it with a little extra cabbage if you’d like.
This recipe is addictively good! I’m always looking for something a bit different and knew, reading the ingredients, it would be tasty. It is even better than imagined. Thank you!
So glad you loved the recipe Teresa!
This casserole is delish! I wasn’t going to make it because the reviews I read all said “sounds great” or “can’t wait to make it” so I was very skeptical. I’m glad I didn’t let that deter me because I followed the recipe exactly and it’s perfect. I’ll definitely make it again!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Noelle!
The Rueben Slider ingredienys can be layered w/t one more meat @ cheese & the left overs from that can be placed in the Corn Beef Casserole. Thank you for recipes.
Thanks Christal! Glad you enjoyed it!
I’m so excited to try this recipe out also thinking about adding some rye swirl bread crumbs to the top looks delicious thank you
Sounds like a great addition, can’t wait to hear how you like it!
This Reuben Casserole sounds really good! My fiance will love the idea of making the casserole instead of a sandwich!)
It sure is!
Oh my goodness, you have taken my love of pasta and one of my favorite sandwiches and have thoroughly made me happy! I can’t wait to try this!
You won’t regret it Stacey!
What a great idea this recipe is! I love the classic Reuben sandwich but turning it into this casserole is genius! Love the ingredients in this one!!
That panko Parmesan topping has me swoooooning hard over here! What a fun spin on a classic sandwich, and such a gorgeous combination with pasta. YUM!
Enjoy, Ashley!
Wow and yum are the two words that come to mind when looking at your pictures and reading about this recipe! Nice job!
Thanks Paige, so glad you loved it!
I love a reuben sandwich, and I know I’d love this too! Such a creative idea, and serving with a slice of rye bread is the perfect finishing touch!
My husband LOVES reubens so this would be right up his alley! I can’t wait to make it and surprise him with it.
Then he’ll love this delicious twist on reubens Claire!
Glad to hear it’ll be great for both of you! Enjoy, Elaine!
Great idea Gloria. A yummy week that will be!
I’ve never heard of Reuben Casserole, but ti seems like a no-brainer after reading your recipe! Sign me up for that swiss cheese sauce!
Cheeeeesssse!
The reuben is one of my all time favorite sandwiches! The sauce sounds heavenly too!