These Reuben Bowls have everything I love about a Reuben sandwich, minus the bread: deli corned beef browned in butter, coleslaw mix and green onions cooked until tender, sauerkraut and caraway seeds stirred in, and Swiss cheese melted on top. A quick homemade Thousand Island dressing goes over each bowl. It all cooks in one skillet in about 30 minutes and makes 6 servings, so it works for a fast dinner or lunches for the next few days.
You’ll love this recipe if you like Big Mac Salad or Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls.
This one is easy to make. I brown deli corned beef in a skillet, cook coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage with it until tender, stir in sauerkraut, melt Swiss cheese on top, and finish each bowl with homemade Thousand Island dressing.
Make it for dinner tonight, or prep it in advance for work lunches. Leftovers also store really well, so you can have dinners ready to go for the next few nights.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy to prepare.
- Leftovers store really well.
- Straightforward ingredients.
- Ready in only 30 minutes.
- All the Reuben flavor with no bread.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make these Reuben bowls
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Dressing: Mix together all of the dressing ingredients, then set aside.
- Start Cooking Reuben Bowls: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the corned beef and cook until the edges start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the coleslaw and sliced green onions and cook until tender, about another 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Melt Cheese: Sprinkle Swiss cheese on top. Cover the skillet with a lid and let it cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, which should take about 2 minutes.
- Drizzle On Dressing and Serve: Spoon into bowls, drizzle the dressing on top, then serve.
👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions
- Mayo: Use Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Ketchup: Try chili sauce or sriracha for a spicier dressing.
- Sweet Pickle Relish: Use dill relish or chopped pickles.
- Lemon Juice: Substitute with distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Corned Beef: Pastrami or roast beef will work.
- Caraway Seeds: Use fennel seeds instead.
- Swiss Cheese: Try provolone or mozzarella for a milder cheese flavor.
Recipe Tip: You can use store-bought Thousand Island dressing instead of making your own.
〰️ How to serve
- Side Dishes: Simple green salad, loaded cauliflower salad, parmesan crusted potatoes, or sweet potato fries.
- Bread: Rye bread, pumpernickel, or soft pretzels.
- Soup: Creamy Italian sausage soup, tomato soup, or wild rice mushroom soup.
💬 FAQs
How can I prep this in advance to serve later?
Cook the corned beef, coleslaw, and green onions as directed and store them in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the mixture in a skillet, add the sauerkraut and caraway seeds, then top with cheese and melt as described. The dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in a separate airtight container.
How do you store leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Ideally, store the dressing separately. To reheat, warm the mixture in a skillet over medium heat or microwave it in 30-second increments until warmed through. Add dressing on top after reheating the bowls.
📚 More 30-minute dinner recipes
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Reuben Bowls
Ingredients
Thousand Island Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons minced yellow onion
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Reuben Bowls:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound deli corned beef, from deli counter, sliced, then cut into strips
- 16-ounce bag coleslaw mix or 1 pound red cabbage, shredded
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 14.5-ounce can sauerkraut, drained (~1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Dressing: Mix together all dressing ingredients, then set aside.
- Start Cooking Reuben Bowls: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add corned beef and cook until edges start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage) and green onions and cook until tender, about another 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper, then sprinkle Swiss cheese on top.
- Melt Cheese: Cover skillet with a lid and let cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Drizzle On Dressing and Serve: Spoon into bowls, drizzle dressing on top, then serve.
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