Meow Recipes: February 2022

Monday, February 28, 2022

Reuben Casserole

Truly not sure if there is anything more fun than turning classic sandwiches into casseroles! Fine, in re-reading that sentence, it’s fair to question our fun-scale, but what we need you to understand here is that this strange, wonderful, cheesy, buttery, bready pan of nostalgic goodness is just an A+ very good time and we’re not sorry about it.

Hunks of butter-soaked pumpernickel bread that crisp in the oven, long pulls of Swiss cheese at every turn, tender corned beef tucked in and around with Thousand Island sauciness. Of course, there’s tangy briney sauerkraut throughout because all Reuben promises are kept here, in every scoopy bite.

Ingredients To Make The Tastiest Reuben Casserole

There is some truly captivating and intense debate around the origins of the Reuben sandwich. Like, did you know there was even such a thing as the “National Sandwich Idea Contest?!” Because there is, and the Reuben won it. (Obviously, because it is made of magic.) Omaha vs. NYC? Deli orders for actresses or grandpa recipes for card players? If you’re into fun and somewhat heated sandwich history discussions – and who isn’t – we recommend this Saveur article for a deep dive!

Just to note, nobody is heatedly discussing the origin of making this sandwich in casserole form. An arguably strange and wonderful thing to do! Do we…do we start a National Ideas for Turning Sandwiches Into Scoopy Casseroles contest? Could we make that a thing?!

Regardless, you need all the signatures:

pumpernickel bread & butter
sauerkraut
Swiss cheese
Thousand Island dressing
corned beef
some onion, caraway seeds, and fresh parsley

How To Make a Reuben Casserole

A Reuben in and of itself is a distinguished mess, they’re supposed to be. With the stacks of corned beef and the big pulls of cheese, and then you have to catch the sauerkraut spilling over the sides and hello, drips on drips on drips of that Thousand Island…what we’re saying is, a baking dish is a perfect solution here.

Bread & butter. Toss bread cubes with melted butter in a bowl. Then, layer half of the bread/butter mixture on the bottom of the baking dish and bake to crisp up.
Sauerkraut. Combine the sauerkraut, onion, parsley, and caraway seeds.
Corned beef & Swiss After you’ve removed the dish from the oven, start layering in this very important order: sauerkraut, Swiss, 1000, corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut, 1000, Swiss, and finally the remainder of bread cubes and bake!
Thousand Island. Drizzle with a little more dressing (never enough) and parsley.

Now start scooping, pals! What a treat.

What To Serve Alongside This Casserole

Other than a side of high-fives because you made this weird, wonderful, delicious pan of yum, you might also consider this simple green salad. As long as your oven is on anyway, you could certainly just roast up some vegetables, maybe some crisp roasty broccoli or cauli? Oh oh! Are sweet potato fries on the menu? Doesn’t that sound fun?!

Or if you’re the childhood version of a certain head creator here at Pinch of Yum, you’d ask for it served with a tall glass of milk on your birthday. (Because that is a very normal kid birthday meal request 😂.)

Reuben Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different kind of bread besides pumpernickel bread?

Yes! Cubed up rye bread can also work here.

Can I use canned corned beef?

Yes, canned corned beef can work here!

What do caraway seeds taste like?

Caraway seeds give the casserole a peppery and earthy flavor with a lil’ hint of fennel taste. Soooo good and essential for the casserole.

Reuben Casserole

Author: Eman @ Pinch of Yum
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6-8 servings

Print Recipe

Description

This Reuben Casserole is a classic sandwich-turned-casserole situation and you don’t want to miss it! Butter-soaked pumpernickel bread, pulls of Swiss cheese, tender corned beef, briney sauerkraut, and lots of Thousand Island sauciness. Let’s dive in!

Ingredients

Units

Reuben Casserole:

10–12 slices rye or pumpernickel bread, cubed (about 4–5 cups)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 pound of sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (and a little more for topping)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
3 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup reuben sauce
1 pound corned beef, cut into small bite-sized pieces (I buy mine at the deli – you can also use pastrami if you can’t find corned beef)

Reuben Sauce (VERY delicious):

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon sriracha
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 small shallot, grated or minced
salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss bread cubes with melted butter in a bowl.
Whisk ingredients for the reuben sauce; taste and adjust.
In a separate bowl, combine the sauerkraut, parsley, and caraway seeds.
Layer half of the bread/butter mixture on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.
Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the baked bread cubes. This is the order I usually follow: sauerkraut, cheese, sauce, corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, sauce. Finish with a little more cheese and the remainder of bread cubes. Bake for 35 minutes.
Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with parsley, and serve!

Notes

This recipe will also work with store-bought Thousand Island dressing! That’s actually how my mom always made this growing up. I like to do it with the homemade reuben sauce (as written), but either can work!

If you’d like to do this in a 8×8 square baking dish, just halve all of the ingredients.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Casserole
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Keywords: reuben casserole, reuben sandwich, casserole recipe

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More Casserole Favorites

Everybody’s Favorite Corn Casserole (with bursty bites of cream-style corn)
Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole (real food meets comfort food)
Chicken Enchilada Casserole (just five simple ingredients)

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Thursday, February 24, 2022

Egg Waffles with Romesco and Goat Cheese

Loaded egg waffle on a plate with toppings

Don’t you dare limit your waffle maker. Let her run free. Let her fly from the bounds of drippy batter-turned-waffle because today we’re looking at making some cute lil’ omelette guys in there and really, what a delightful little twist on brunch or brinner!

We all know scrambled eggs are easy, nutritious and quick, and can definitely save the day on one of those SOS-y type nights when you are really scrambling (lol pun intended) to get something on the table fast. You can throw veg in there. Protein? Coming ‘atcha. Cheese? Yes of course, why not.

So we wanted to take the feel of that very regular and totally acceptable meal and make it so much more fun. Because here we are in February, the longest shortest month.

Light puffy scrambled eggs, speckled with little bits of bacon and spinach or any other veg/protein combo you love, some hashbrowns tossed in for good measure, and extra cheese that gets all goldy-crisp on top.

BUT IN WAFFLE FORM. WAFFLES!

You can toss them on sandwiches, cut them up in strips for dippers or, like we love to do, pile them to the sky with delicious toppings. Crumbles of goat cheese, a swath of nutty sharp romesco sauce, a spoonful of peppers and garlic confit, avocado for days, a sprinkle of chives cuz they cute, maybe hot sauce because why stop now?

There are no limits to what you can make happen with these and your waffle maker is so excited to be of service. So proud.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make These Egg Waffles

These little fun-makers can really be anything you want them to, be but we like to go 100% maximalist – how much is too much – absolutely overboard on toppings because this is an egg waffle party and we came to play.

So here’s what you need to start:

eggs
frozen hashbrowns (or just a grated potato works, too)
shredded cheese
garlic powder & salt
bacon or pancetta or cooked sausage (optional)
spinach (optional, but why not throw a little green at it?)
cheddar cheese to put on top (for extra cheesy-golden-brown spots. non-negotiable.)

Here’s how we like to finish:

goat cheese
peppers and garlic confit
avocado
romesco sauce (store bought or homemade)
chives
hot sauce!

See?! No holding back. This is a stellar combo. BUT, the beauty of an egg waffle party is that you totally make the guest list, so let your imaginations run wild!

Let’s Make Egg Waffles

Mix ingredients, waffle it up. That’s really about it.

But if you want a little bit more guidance, here we go:

Mix all your base ingredients together.
Pour about 1/2-3/4 cup onto a nonstick waffle maker. You might need a little cooking spray depending on how good your nonstick is.
Cheese chunks. You really don’t want to miss out on this. Tear up a couple slices of cheese and place on top before putting the lid down for a nice cheesy golden brown top. Cook until the light goes off and then make sure potatoes are soft and cheese is golden. (Usually just 1-2 mins but if it isn’t quite done, just give it a flip and an extra minute.)
Top with all your toppings! And we do mean all. Have all the fun.

Fork taking a bite out of a loaded egg waffle

Egg Waffles Your Way

We promise you can’t go wrong with a toppings tower as indicated. Like, HELLO garlic & pepper confit is basically garlic and pepps that have just been slow-simmered in olive oil until buttery soft….why wouldn’t you put that on EVERYTHING? Why turn away from this and all the other flavor-explosions that abound?

But we did promise that the beauty of these is how fully customizable they are. Swap out the breakfast meats or veggie combo as you wish. Play with the toppings to your heart’s content. If you want a little Tex-Mexy twist, throw some black beans, pepperjack cheese, sour cream, and salsa at it. A fun broccoli cheddar variation with cooked rice instead of hashbrowns, broccoli bits, bacon, and all the cheese. Maybe there’s a caramelized onion version in your future?

Or, you know, maybe you’re just dipping yours in ketchup. To each their own.

Oh! What if everyone gets an egg waffle and then there’s just a toppings bar in the middle of the table for a very make-your-own brinner experience? That could be fun!

Egg waffle on a plate loaded with toppings and a fork

These little egg waffles can be anything you dream and are definitely the most fun little omelette bar this side of town.

Egg Waffles: Frequently Asked Questions

Can these egg waffles be meal-prepped?

First off, we like the way you think! And yes, they totally can. Just load up all of your toppings before serving.

Do I need a waffle maker for this recipe?

A waffle maker is pretty essential for these egg waffles. You can get an inexpensive option from Target or invest in something a bit fancier if you’d like (affiliate links).

What kind of cheese do you recommend using for the shredded cheese in this recipe?

It’s hard to go wrong when cheese is involved, so any kind of cheese works here! For melty cheese options that work well when cooking your egg waffle, try cheddar, pepper jack, a Mexican blend, or Monterey Jack.