Low-Carb Reuben Bake (Video)

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.

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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 Danica'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.)

1. Chop up a head of cauliflower and cook in boiling salted water.
2. Drain cauliflower at least 5 minutes, then use an Immersion Blender (affiliate link) or hand beater to puree the cauliflower with the sour cream.
3. Stir in grated Swiss cheese and green onions.
4. Slice up cabbage, shred corned beef apart and then chop, and measure out the Thousand Island dressing. 
5. Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute the cabbage (seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little caraway seed if desired.)
6. When cabbage is starting to wilt, add corned beef and cook 1-2 minutes more. 
7. Let cool for a few minutes and then stir in the Thousand Island Dressing. 
8. 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.
9. Make a layer with half the mashed cauliflower in the bottom of the dish. 
10. Put the cabbage/corned beef mixture over that and top with grated Swiss Cheese.
11. Then make another layer of mashed cauliflower, spreading it around.
12. Top with another layer of grated Swiss Cheese. 
13. Bake at 375F/190C about 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbling hot and the top is starting to brown. Serve hot.
14. 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:

• Fried Cabbage with Corned Beef
• Leftover Corned Beef Soup
• Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups 

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!

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Yield: 8 servings

Low-Carb Reuben Bake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

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

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.  Fill a pot half fill with water, add a little salt and bring to a boil.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Turn off heat and let the pan cool down for a minute or two, then stir in the Thousand Island dressing.
7. 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.
8. 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:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount 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.

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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 Danica'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.

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