This Keto Reuben Casserole includes all the delicious ingredients in a Reuben sandwich – pastrami (or corned beef), sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.
If you like Reuben sandwiches, you’re going to love this low-carb / keto casserole that tastes so much like the original, just without the rye bread.
Casseroles are a great way to turn a sandwich into a meal. It’s a great dish for a fall or winter evening when you just want to curl up with something warm and filling to eat. If you have extra corned beef left over try this keto corned beef hash or Rueben bowl.
» For more great casseroles try one of these chicken casserole recipes.
Ingredients You Need
- Cauliflower – About half of a head of cauliflower is enough for this recipe. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Sauerkraut – Be sure to buy a sauerkraut with no added sugar. Always look at the ingredients list and go for one with low carbs and sugar. Before using it, drain as much of the liquid out as possible.
- Keto Thousand Island Dressing – We have a recipe for this dressing that makes just the exact amount that you’ll use for the Reuben casserole. You can also buy Thousand Island dressing, but it will have a higher carb count than homemade.
- Pastrami slices or corned beef – Corned beef is the traditional way to make a Reuben, but it can be hard to find and you might have to braise it yourself. I now mostly use sliced pastrami, because it’s easier and just as tasty.
- Swiss cheese slices – Swiss cheese is so tasty on this casserole. If you can’t find it, you could also use provolone.
How to Make a Keto Reuben Casserole
Pre-heat the oven to 400° F(205°C).
Boil a pot of water and place the cauliflower pieces into the pot. Simmer at a low boil for 10 minutes. Strain the water out and allow the cauliflower to dry for 5 minutes.
Place the cauliflower pieces in the bottom of a 9”x13” casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Then spread on the sauerkraut.
Next, drizzle on the Thousand Island dressing. Spread it out as evenly as you can with the back of the spoon.
Top with the slices of pastrami and slices of swiss cheese. If you want, you can use more pastrami and/or cheese. Neither of these have carbs, so you can add more protein or fat to your meal by layering more on.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to get golden. Slice and serve hot.
Questions About Reuben Casserole
Is a Reuben made with pastrami or corned beef?
A classic Reuben is always made with corned beef, but because it’s sometimes hard to find and prepare corned beef, many people have switched it up and make it with pastrami. Served with pastrami, the sandwich actually has been given the name “Rachel”. It doesn’t matter greatly which one you use. Just use whatever is easiest for you to get.
What is on a Reuben sandwich?
A Reuben sandwich consists of rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing. We make our casserole as close to the sandwich as possible, but we do add cauliflower to the base to make it more filling, since we don’t include the rye bread.
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
Frozen cauliflower is already blanched (partially cooked) so it doesn’t take as long to cook as from raw. So using frozen cauliflower can save a little time in this recipe. You do still want to boil the frozen cauliflower, just until it’s no longer frozen, about 5 minutes, and let it dry out before using, so it doesn’t impart a lot of water.
How Many Carbs in Reuben Casserole
This casserole cuts way down on the carbs in a traditional Reuben sandwich, because we don’t use the rye bread. It does have a small amount of carbs in the various ingredients, but also has a lot of fiber, so a serving of this casserole has about 4 net grams of carbs.
Alternatives & Substitutions
- You can leave the cauliflower out of this dish, if you want. It’s an extra ingredient that’s not found in a traditional Reuben sandwich. We just add it to make the dish a little more filling. It’s perfectly good with or without it.
- You can use Swiss, provolone, or even mozzarella cheese for the top. I prefer to use Swiss slices, but it’s also great with shredded mozzarella.
- If you don’t like sauerkraut, you can use sautéed cabbage in its place, though that will detract from the overall taste of the dish.
What to Serve With This Dish?
If you’re looking for a great side dish to serve alongside this main dish, why not try one of these recipes below. They will compliment this main dish very well and are all low in carbs so you can make a great keto or low-carb meal to enjoy.
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Low-Carb Reuben Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
- 14 ounces (397 g) sauerkraut drained
- 1 cup (237 ml) Keto Thousand Island Dressing
- 1 pound (454 g) pastrami slices
- 8 ounces (227 g) Swiss cheese slices
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and place the cauliflower pieces into the pot. Boil for 10 minutes. Strain and allow to dry for 5 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400° F(205°C).
- Place the cauliflower pieces in the bottom of a 9”x13” casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread on the sauerkraut and drizzle on the Thousand Island dressing.
- Top with slices of pastrami and slices of Swiss cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to get golden.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.
I love a good reuben sandwich. Trying to cut out carbs. This casserole is really hitting the spot. Thanks.
I am really enjoying this casserole. I have been adding saurkraut and and lightly sauteed cabbage. I like the crunch.
My wife says I’m weird but I cut up some brussels sprouts and added them with the cauliflower. It’s pretty tasty!
Sounds interesting, I will definitely give it a try!