Low-Carb Reuben Bake
This Low-Carb Reuben Bake is a delicious way to use leftover corned beef, but you can also buy corned beef at the deli to make this Reuben casserole. And this has all the flavors people love in Reuben Sandwiches, without the carbs.
PIN the Low-Carb Reuben Bake to make it later!
I love St. Patrick’s Day, and every year I try to encourage people to cook corned beef and cabbage, which both usually go on sale in the U.S. for this Irish-American holiday. And whether you make my tried-and-true Slow Cooker Corned Beef or make Instant Pot Corned Beef with Creamy Horseradish Sauce, I really hope you’re cooking some corned beef. And of course I always suggest Roasted Cabbage with Lemon as the perfect side dish for corned beef.
And then if you’re lucky enough to have corned beef leftovers, I hope you’ll think about making this amazing Low-Carb Reuben Bake. And even if you don’t make corned beef (or don’t have any leftovers!) I recommend you buy corned beef at the deli and make this low-carb Reuben Casserole with layers of mashed cauliflower, cabbage, corned beef, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.
If you’re a fan of the Reuben Sandwich, you’ll recognize some of those ingredients and realize how this casserole got its name. And I bet a lot of my readers are going to have leftover corned beef tomorrow, so I’m recommending this tasty way to use it as my Friday Favorites pick this week!
The Low-Carb Reuben Bake is a recipe I came up with several years ago after I saw a definitely high-carb Reuben bake on Pinterest! I realized I could switch out the potatoes for cheesy cauliflower and use sugar-free Thousand Island Dressing and make this into a delicious low carb dish.
It took a couple of tries to get the recipe and photos how I wanted them, but when Kara and I tested this final version we gobbled it up. And I’m hoping I’m not completely lacking in modesty if I say this is a complete winner for a way to use leftover corned beef; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- cauliflower
- sour cream
- grated Swiss cheese
- green onion
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper
- green cabbage
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- caraway seeds (affiliate link), optional
- leftover corned beef
- Thousand Island Dressing, preferably G. Hughes Thousand Island Dressing (affiliate link)
Will the Low-Carb Reuben Bake Keep in the fridge?
This Ruben Bake recipe will keep in the fridge for quite a few days and is easy to reheat in the microwave. I haven’t managed to have any left over to try freezing it, but I am guessing it should freeze well.
What Thousand Island Dressing is low in carbs for this Ruben Bake recipe?
When I first made this recipe I had a hard time finding Thousand Island Dressing that was really low in carbs. But now I’d use G. Hughes Thousand Island Dressing (affiliate link), which has only one carb in two tablespoons!
Want more ideas for leftover corned beef?
You can use Low-Carb and Keto Corned Beef Recipes for lots more ideas for leftover corned beef from Kalyn’s Kitchen and blogs around the web!
How to Make Low-Carb Reuben Bake:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Chop up a head of cauliflower and cook in boiling salted water.
- Drain cauliflower at least 5 minutes, then use an Immersion Blender (affiliate link) or hand beater to puree the cauliflower with the sour cream.
- Stir in grated Swiss cheese and green onions.
- Slice up cabbage, shred corned beef apart and then chop, and measure out the Thousand Island dressing.
- Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute the cabbage (seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little caraway seed if desired.)
- When cabbage is starting to wilt, add corned beef and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Let cool for a few minutes and then stir in the Thousand Island Dressing.
- I used a deep casserole dish so you could see the layers, but any glass or crockery casserole dish that’s not too small will work.
- Make a layer with half the mashed cauliflower in the bottom of the dish.
- Put the cabbage/corned beef mixture over that and top with grated Swiss Cheese.
- Then make another layer of mashed cauliflower, spreading it around.
- Top with another layer of grated Swiss Cheese.
- Bake at 375F/190C about 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbling hot and the top is starting to brown. Serve hot.
- I promise this will be a hit with anyone who likes corned beef, even if they don’t care about low-carb eating.
More Tasty Low-Carb Ideas with Corned Beef:
Weekend Food Prep:
This low-carb Reuben casserole recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Low-Carb Reuben Bake
If you're lucky enough to end up with some leftover corned beef use it to make this delicious Low-Carb Reuben Bake, or buy corned beef at the deli to make this tasty casserole!
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups grated Swiss cheese (divided)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 1 medium head green cabbage
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
- 2 cups leftover corned beef, shredded and then chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup G. Hughes Thousand Island Dressing (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Fill a pot half fill with water, add a little salt and bring to a boil.
- While the water heats, trim away the leaves from the cauliflower, keeping the stems; then coarsely chop cauliflower. When the water is nearly boiling, add the cauliflower, turn heat to medium, and cook the cauliflower 10-11 minutes or until it’s barely starting to get tender. (Don’t overcook or the mashed cauliflower will be mushy.) Dump cauliflower into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain at least 5 minutes so it’s not wet.
- Put cooked cauliflower back into the pan you cooked it in, add the sour cream, and use an Immersion Blender (affiliate link) or Hand Mixer (affiliate link) to puree the cauliflower. (Don’t over blend; I kept it slightly chunky. Remember it’s going to cook more in the oven.) Mix in 1/2 cup of grated Swiss Cheese and the green onions.
- Remove any wilted outer leaves of cabbage, cut the cabbage into quarters, and cut away and discard the core. Then slice cabbage about 3/8 inch thick. Shred the corned beef apart into strips and chop to make bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick frying pan (I used my favorite Green Pan (affiliate link) to cook the cabbage.) When the oil is hot, add the cabbage, turn heat to medium, and saute the cabbage, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a little caraway seed if using. Cook about 4 minutes, or until it is starting to slightly brown on some edges. Add the corned beef and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Turn off heat and let the pan cool down for a minute or two, then stir in the Thousand Island dressing.
- Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. (The dish I made this in was about 9″ x 12″.) Put half the mashed cauliflower into the dish and spread into a flat layer. Put the cabbage-corned beef mixture on top of the layer of cauliflower and sprinkle with 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese. Spread the rest of the mashed cauliflower in a layer on top of that, and sprinkle the cauliflower with another 3/4 cup grated cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling hot and the cheese is starting to lightly brown on top. Serve hot.
Notes
If you can find G. Hughes Thousand Island Dressing (affiliate link) for this recipe, it only has one carb in two tablespoons. Look for the lowest carb dressing you can find.
This recipe adapted by Kalyn and Kara from a recipe I saw on Pinterest.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 10gUnsaturated Fat 13.6gCholesterol 90mgSodium 815mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3.2gSugar 5.9gProtein 20g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / Low-Carb Diet Suggestions:
For low-carb or Keto diets, it’s important to look for Thousand Island Dressing that doesn’t contain a lot of sugar to make the Low-Carb Reuben Bake. I would use G. Hughes Thousand Island Dressing (affiliate link) if you can find that. Corned beef isn’t really recommended for the South Beach Diet due to the amount of fat, so this is a once-in-a-while treat for South Beach Dieters but I’d certainly make it for St. Patrick’s Day leftovers if you have some. South Beach would recommend using light sour cream and also reduced-fat Swiss cheese if you can find it.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty low-carb casserole with Reuben Sandwich flavors was first posted in 2015. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
35 Comments on “Low-Carb Reuben Bake”
This recipe sounds AMAZING! I don’t have a lot leftover because I also love Ruben sandwiches 😂. The recipe is pinned and will be sure to buy more corn beef when it goes on sale (rare I know). Anytime we can cut carb consumption is a plus, thanks for your recipe!!
So glad you like it thanks!
Forgot to mention that I used a bag of cole slaw that I had instead of having to cut up a cabbage. SO, So much easier.
Good idea to use coleslaw mix if you want to save time.
Will try this Amazing recipe tonight & hope I make it. Thanks for such a great recipe.
This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. One small tip is to use frozen cauliflower instead of the fresh for a real time saver. Just steam it in the bag, drain well and proceed as in the recipe. I cut the recipe in half and a 12 oz bag of cauliflower was the perfect amount. Thanks for the great recipe! I’ll have to remember it for next year’s St. Patrick’s Day leftovers.
So glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the tip of using frozen cauliflower; I haven’t tried that but I’m going to!
(I added sauerkraut to the cabbage mixture.) Layer of mashed spuds, mashed carrots, chopped corned beef/cabbage/kraut topped with Swiss cheese. It’s in the oven. My husband is going to love it!Â
Sounds delicious; hope you both enjoy!
Could I use sauerkraut instead of cabbage?Â
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I think that would taste great, but you’d want to make sure it’s VERY well-drained, and probably need to pat dry with paper towels as well as you can so it doesn’t make too much liquid in the finished dish.
Thank you – I’ll make sure to really drain and dry the sauerkraut.
Lucky that I have loads of leftover corned beef. Going to make it tonight. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
Hope you enjoy Samantha!
Thank you for this recipe!! We made it with our leftover St Patrick’s Day dinner and it came out perfect! I made two :: one with our leftover mashed potatoes & carrots for my 3 growing boys and husband and a half portion of the low carb with the cauliflower for me! Everything else we kept the same and it was a big hit with leftovers to take to school for lunch today! Thanks again for this perfect day after St Paddy’s Day meal 🙂
So glad it was enjoyed by the whole family, and what a good mom you are to make two versions so it works for everyone’s needs!
Sorry you were disappointed, I didn’t have that problem. Did you cook the cabbage only four minutes like the instructions specify? If so maybe a slightly shorter time or lower heat would give you a better result, but I think if you use raw cabbage it will release a lot of moisture into the finished dish.
I actually have some corned beef in the freezer (and slow cooker has always been my favorite method of cooking it) but I DO NOT like cabbage. Is the cabbage flavor strong? I accept that it is something I should be eating nutritionally and would definitely like ways to incorporate it without gagging
This is hard for me to answer, since I do really like cabbage. I’d say the cabbage is definitely not the dominant flavor here. But if cabbage really does make you want to gag, this recipe might not be for you. Here’s a collection of The BEST Low-Carb Corned Beef Recipes if you want some other ideas!
Thanks so much for your help 🙂
I'm not sure how to describe the flavor, but it's the strong flavor in rye bread. I'd crush one and taste it, although that will be strong. You could crush them to use in the dish, which would dilute the flavor a bit and maybe use a little less if you're not sure you will like it.
Oh ok thank you 🙂 Im making this tonight and looking forward to it. I actually have never used caraway seeds before, what flavour do they have? Do you crush them or just leave them as the seed?
No you are not crazy! I have it in the instructions below the photos, but left it out of the actual recipe. Will edit right now, thanks for catching that!
How much corned beef if you have to buy from the deli?
I didn't weigh it so I don't know how much 2 cups of corned beef would be in pounds. It doesn't need an exact measurement. You might ask the deli person how much to get.
My family cringes when I make corned beef and cabbage every year but I know this casserole will be a hit. I got two recipes today… this one, and your slow cooker corned beef. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Janice; hope you guys enjoy it!
Hi Kalyn,
The next time I'm going to buy a larger corned beef so I can try this recipe.
I normally don't like casseroles with mashed potatoes so, this one looks great with the cauliflower
Hi Forrest; hope you enjoy!
This looks like what I need to make tonight with all of my left over corned beef….
Hope you enjoy it!
Well, I won't have any leftover corned beef but my Irish mama definitely will, and some will definitely be coming my way! Now I know what to do with it – in addition to making hash! 🙂
Kate, lucky you. Hope you enjoy!
I love corned beef enough that I think it would get me past the cauliflower resistance! This casserole looks like a total wow to me.
Thanks Lydia! I promise with the strong flavors from the swiss cheese and corned beef, there is no real cauliflower taste at all. This is so good!