Sauerkraut is one of those foods that you either like or don’t like. Honestly, I don’t know how a person couldn’t like sauerkraut. But that’s coming from someone who is mostly German. Some Norwegian friends of mine say the same thing about lutefisk, a delicacy in their minds, so who am I to argue.

We have several quarts of home-canned sauerkraut in our pantry, so I’m always on the lookout for fresh recipes to use beyond having it with sausage (bratwurst or kielbasa), baby back pork ribs or my Czechoslovakian Cabbage Soup. And you can add Reuben sandwiches to that list.

Therese found a recipe a few months back for a Reuben takeoff, which is quite tasty, but that hasn’t stopped me on my quest for other fermented cabbage recipes, the most recent of which is a hotdish that I’m sure will pique the tastes of kraut lovers.

And who knows, some of my open-minded Scandinavian friends might even agree.

Reuben Casserole
16 ounces sauerkraut (drained with most of the liquid squeezed out)
6 ounces egg noodles or any other pasta, cooked to package instructions
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ pound chopped corned beef
1 cup Thousand Island dressing (recipe follows)
12 slices Swiss cheese or 8 ounces, grated
4 slices rye bread, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons butter melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place sauerkraut and cooked noodles in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stir to combine. Season sauerkraut mixture with salt and pepper. Layer corned beef over sauerkraut mixture. Spread evenly. Spread Thousand Island evenly over corned beef layer. Layer Swiss cheese over Thousand Island dressing. Top with rye bread pieces. Drizzle melted butter over bread. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 1 clove)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or jar. Refrigerate for at least one hour to let flavors meld.