What do you do with left over Corned Beef and Cabbage? Make Reubens of course!
Because we still had some of the Creamy Horseradish Dijon sauce from the Corned Beef and Cabbage, I substituted that for thousand island dressing. Past that, this recipe is pretty traditional.
I still had half a cabbage left so I decided to make my own sauerkraut using a “fast” method so I could enjoy a Reuben with Homemade Sauerkraut today instead of waiting days for the sauerkraut to be ready.
Ingredients:
Sauerkraut:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 a small onion, chopped
- 1/2 a head of cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
Reuben:
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- Left over corned beef, thinly sliced
- Sauerkraut (recipe above)
- Rye bread
- Swiss cheese
- Creamy Horseradish Dijion (recipe here), or thousand island dressing
I found the sauerkraut recipe on food.com and just scaled it down to feed two. To make the sauerkraut, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until it begins to soften.
Add the cabbage, apple juice, vinegar, water, salt and caraway seeds and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to drain the sauerkraut and add it to the saute pan with the corned beef. Heat on medium until the corned beef is warm.
Remove from heat. Wipe down the saute pan and add the remaining tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add 2 slices rye bread and top with Swiss cheese.
When the cheese begins to melt, layer the corned beef, sauerkraut, and sauce on top.
Top with the other slice of bread.
Cut in half and serve.
I love using leftovers to make a completely new meal. My boyfriend loved it, he didn’t even miss the thousand island dressing!
I’m not really into sauerkraut, so I made myself a Rachel – a corned beef sandwich with Swiss cheese and dressing – and it was delicious!
Reuben with Homemade Sauerkraut
My favorite day after St. Patrick's Day meal - made from leftover corned beef and cabbage, this recipe includes a how to make a quick sauerkrautÂ
Ingredients
Sauerkraut:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 a small onion chopped
- 1/2 a head of cabbage roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
Reuben:
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- Left over corned beef thinly sliced
- Sauerkraut recipe above
- Rye bread
- Swiss cheese
- Creamy Horseradish Dijion or thousand island dressing
Instructions
- To make the sauerkraut, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until it begins to soften.
- Add the cabbage, apple juice, vinegar, water, salt and caraway seeds and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to drain the sauerkraut and add it to the saute pan with the corned beef. Heat on medium until the corned beef is warm.
- Remove from heat. Wipe down the saute pan and add the remaining tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add 2 slices rye bread and top with Swiss cheese.
- When the cheese begins to melt, layer the corned beef, sauerkraut, and sauce on top.
- Top with the other slice of bread.
- Cut in half and serve.
Notes
If you make this recipe, share a photo on Instagram and tag me @icancookthat!
What a wonderful way to make sauerkraut, I have never seen it cooked. I am going to have to try that. Looks delicious. Have a great day.
I second the notion about heating the kraut. However, here’s my take on the Ruben, with the Original Russian Dressing – 1000 Island make a … I don’t use it.
https://dangermencooking.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-believe-that-first-ruben-sandwich-i.html
Okay, look – I am German, grew up in Germany, and I just don’t get Sauerkraut on bread. It’s a side dish. It goes with meat and maybe potatoes. Reubens flabbergast me every time! 😉
Looks like your homemade Sauerkraut so perfect though, well done! 🙂
Ooo – I’ve never seen homemade fast sauerkraut before! Thanks for this post, and yummmm. Guess I know what I’ll be making this weekend.
mmm I can almost smell the sauerkraut! YUM! thanks for sharing- good ideas!!
I’ve never seen a homemade fast sauerkraut either. I have some left over cabbage in my fridge, and will be trying this recipe soon!
I’ve always wanted to make my own sauerkraut! I am that girl that loads her hot dogs with kraut at baseball games and I do love me a delicious reuben! This is an awesome post! Can’t wait to try it out!
I have tons of leftover corned beef, and I will definitely try this sauerkraut recipe. Thanks for sharing it 🙂