Recipe: Rueben Casserole

Rueben Casserole

1 lb Sliced Deli-Style Corned Beef
4-6 oz Swiss cheese
1 16 oz jar/can Sauerkraut
4 Tablespoons low-carb Thousand Island Dressing*
4 Tablespoons sugarfree Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon dill or Splenda sweetened relish

In a large casserole dish (or in separate ramekins) sprayed with PAM, layer slices of corned beef (the thin sliced - not chipped - works best). Kind of scrunch them up with an "uneven approach" so it's not a slab of corned beef. Drain saurkraut of 1/2 its juice and lay atop corned beef (if you like the sweeter variety of kraut, thoroughly rinse off canned/jarred juice and replace with a bit of cool water -- toss 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar Twin or Splenda into it before adding to the casserole dish.) Top with swiss cheese layer and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes (10 minutes for ramekins) or until cheese is melty but not liquidy. While dish is baking, in separate bowl mix Thousand Island Dressing, Mayonnaise, and Relish. Remove casserole dish from oven, slice in 4 serving-size squares and top with dollops of dressing mixture.

* Note: There are many low-carb "Thousand Island" Dressings available now, but you can also make your own in one of two ways:
1) Mix 5 Tablespoons mayonnaise,
1 Tablespoon sugarfree ketchup (or 1 teaspoon tomato paste),
2 Tablespoons sour cream,
1 teaspoon dill relish,
1/2 teaspoon Splenda or liquid sweetener.

Mix well and keep refrigerated any not used in this recipe. OR --

2) Use a mix of commercial Thousand Island Dressing (the least "Orange-y" variety you can find), sour cream, and mayonnaise.

Serves 4. 5 carb grams per serving if using Thousand Island Dressing made by version #1 above. Otherwise, adjust carbs accordingly.