Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups

Any time you’re lucky enough to have some leftover corned beef, these Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups are a creative way to use it! Or just buy some thickly sliced corned beef from the deli to make this low-carb variation on a Reuben Sandwich!

PIN Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups to try them later!

This weekend is St. Patrick’s Day and a lot of people will be cooking corned beef to celebrate, so for this weeks Friday Favorites pick, I’m reminding you about these tasty Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups that are such a fun idea when you have cabbage and leftover corned beef!

Of course, If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know how I’m such a fan of both corned beef and cabbage, and every March I’m happy about the way those ingredients go on sale. And I love making something creative with my leftover corned beef. And people who love corned beef the way I do are also likely a fan of the classic Reuben Sandwich, probably one of the most well-known dishes made with corned beef.

If you’re a Reuben sandwich fan but don’t want the carbs, these Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups are so tasty and fun to eat! We loved the crunch of the raw cabbage leaves combined with classic Reuben sandwich ingredients of sauerkraut and Thousand Island Dressing, but if raw cabbage is not a winner for you I recommend very briefly blanching the cabbage leaves in boiling water, drying with paper towels, and then assembling.

Either way you make it, I hope you have fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and then enjoy this low-carb option for a Reuben the next day!

What ingredients do you need?

(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.)

• cooked corned beef
• bottled sauerkraut
• onion
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• cabbage
• Thousand Island Dressing (look for lowest sugar you can find)

Don’t have leftover corned beef to make the Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups?

Kara and I worked on this recipe long before corned beef started showing up in the stores, so we used sliced corned beef from the deli to make the Reuben Sandwich cups you see in these photos.

What is the Reuben Sandwich?

The Reuben Sandwich is a classic dish that’s found in delis all across the U.S. It’s usually grilled and features sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing, and it’s often made on rye bread.

Ideas for Cooking Corned Beef:

Corned Beef is easy to cook in the Instant Pot or in the Slow Cooker, and I’ve been cooking it for years for St. Patrick’s Day. And if you want even more options, check out Slow Cooker Corned Beef Recipes or Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site!

More Tasty Ideas for Cabbage:

For more tasty low carb options with cabbage check out Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Recipes.

How to Make Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups:

(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. Dump sauerkraut into a jar and let it drain.
2. Cut away the core and separate the head of cabbage into cups. 
3. Cut up one pound of corned beef into small pieces.
4. Chop up onion. Heat olive oil and cook the onion a few minutes, until it’s starting to brown.
5. Add corned beef and cook, turning several times, until it’s heated through and starting to brown.
6. Fill each cabbage cup with some of the heated corned beef. (We trimmed the edges of the cabbage cups with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link), totally optional.)
7. Put well-drained sauerkraut over the corned beef.
8. Then top with about 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island Dressing, or however much you prefer. (Be sure to look for one with the lowest possible amount of sugar. I used Litehouse Thousand Island Dressing, which is pretty low in carbs, but some brands are much higher. You could also make your own low-carb Thousand Island Dressing if you want even less carbs.
9. Serve with additional Thousand Island Dressing to add at the table and enjoy!

More Tasty Ways to use Corned Beef:

• Low-Carb Reuben Bake
• Fried Cabbage with Corned Beef
• Leftover Corned Beef Soup

Continue to Content

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Yield: 6 cabbage cups

Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Low-Carb Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups are a fun way to use leftover corned beef, or just buy some corned beef from the deli to make this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. cooked corned beef, cut into thick slices and then diced into small cubes
• one 16 oz. bottle sauerkraut, well drained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small head cabbage
• 3/4 cup Thousand Island Dressing (see notes)

Instructions

1. Dump the bottled sauerkraut into a jar and let it drain well while you prep other ingredients.
2. Cut away the core from the head of cabbage, and separate the cabbage into cups. (You can cut the cabbage in half if you want smaller cups, but we kept them whole and trimmed the edges after we put in the filling.
3. Cut up one pound of leftover or deli corned beef into small pieces.
4. Chop up a small onion. Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium=high heat and cook the onion a few minutes, until it's starting to brown.
5. Add the small pieces of corned beef and cook, turning several times, until it's heated through and starting to lightly brown.
6. Fill each cabbage cup with some of the heated corned beef. (We trimmed the edges of the cabbage cups with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) to make them a more manageable size, but that is totally optional.
7. Put a few ounces of well-drained sauerkraut over the corned beef.
8. Then top with about 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island Dressing, or however much you prefer.
9. Serve with additional Thousand Island Dressing to add at the table and enjoy!

Notes

I used Litehouse Thousand Island Dressing, which is pretty low in carbs, but some brands are much higher. You could also make your own low-carb Thousand Island Dressing if you want even less carbs.

Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara and inspired by so many Reuben Sandwiches we've enjoyed through the years.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 6.1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 1468mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2.8gSugar: 4.5gProtein: 15g

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 / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
As long as you’re careful to choose Thousand Island Dressing with the lowest possible carbs you can find, Reuben Sandwich Cabbage Cups are a great dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans. Corned Beef is not recommended for the original South Beach Diet due to the high fat content, but personally I would eat this for an occasional treat!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Lettuce Wraps 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 to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. 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 recipe for cabbage cups filled with the ingredients in Reuben Sandwiches was first posted in 2020. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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