Deli-Style Corned Beef Sandwich (2024)

26 Comments

Published: 03/17/2022Updated: 11/07/2022Author: Kate Jones

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A delicious deli-style sandwich which is perfect to make after you serve corned beef for dinner and have leftovers. Use a good quality hearty bread from the bakery, which will both stand up to toasting, and also soak up the juices from the coleslaw. This sandwich is loaded with both flavors and textures and perfect with a pickle and some crunchy kettle chips.

Ingredients Needed for a Corned Beef Sandwich

Bread: Traditional corned beef sandwiches are often made on Rye, but feel free to use your favorite hearty sandwich bread. I personally love a good sourdough.

Cheese: Swiss or baby swiss offers a gentle tang plus lots of creaminess. I also love havarti!

Meat: Leftover corned beef (or purchase from your deli).

Spread: Though bottled Russian Dressing is often served on the classic, a 1:1 spread of dijon mustard and mayo makes an easy and flavorful option as well.

Veggie Crunch: Sourcraut is a classic corned beef combination, but we like to use our favorite coleslaw instead.

How to Build your Corned Beef Sandwich:

1. Spread sauce of choice on both sides of bread, I’m using a 1:1 combo of dijon mustard and mayo, and place cheese on one side (or both!)

2. Pile on Corned beef. Sliced or shredded, a little or a lot. Up to you!

3. Drizzle both sides of bread with olive oil and toast on a panini press

If you don’t have a panini grill, you still have options:

1. Toast in your oven under the broiler or in your toaster oven.

2. Cook it on a skillet like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

3. Heat it in the microwave. This is a last resort.

4. Add Coleslaw

I like to wait until after toasting to add the coleslaw so it doesn’t get warm or soggy. The cold, crunchy cabbage on the hot melty sandwich is such a great combo.

Serve with a generous pickle spear and crunchy kettle chips for a perfect deli-style lunch! Fresh lemonade would be a great bonus 🙂

Looking for more sandwiches? Check out our sandwich section!Print

Deli-Style Corned Beef Sandwich

Author: Our Best Bites
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 1 sandwich
Category: Main DIshes
Method: Broil
Cuisine: Sandwiches

Print Recipe

Description

Warm, hearty corned beef, crusty bread, and Swiss cheese come together in the perfect sandwich!

Ingredients

Spread : mix 1 part dijon mustard with 1 part mayo

Sturdy bread: I recommend sourdough, rye, or sourdough rye
Corned beef: leftover homemade or purchased from deli

Coleslaw

Swiss cheese

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Spread both pieces of bread with mayo-dijon mixture and lay cheese on both slices. Add corned beef, close sandwich and drizzle both sides with olive oil.

Broil, toast, or grill until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Carefully lift up sandwich and fill with coleslaw and serve immediately with a dill pickle and kettle chips.

Keywords: Sandwich, St. Patrick's Day, Corned beef

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Monica Banks says:

I’m making corn beef sandwiches tonight, fortunately I purchased coleslaw from the deli. I will be trying this delicious looking sandwich..hmmm!!!!

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Allison Brenn says:

Made this for Lunch today. Yum!!

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Steph thompson says:

How do you prepare your corned beef and cabbage?
Any tips would be fabulous! Thanks!
devatephthompson at gmail dot com

Reply
Dean says:

While i do love corned beef, I cannot stand Panini grills. A baker goes to a lot of trouble to give each style of bread it’s characteristic qualities, flavor, crust and crumb to name a few and what do people do. Squash it flat into a blob of bread dough and unevenly toast the outside. Not yummy at all to me. NO Panini grills in my household, but each to their own.

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Ken Tinker says:

You really want a good corned beef sandwich? Come to Corned Beef Row in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. There you get a hot corned beef, but it’s the meat and cheese that are hot, not the bread. I had to wait 10 minutes for a sandwich from Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen to cool down to the point of no longer being able to cause third degree burns in my mouth. Plus the thing was so greasy, it soaked through the paper before I even had a chance to sit down. If that’s what people call a good corned beef sandwich, they can have it. I’ll stick with the traditional corned beef sandwich where I can start eating it when I sit down, and not have to count tiles in the ceiling while waiting for that piece of inedible crap to cool off.

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Ed says:

Please, you know nothing of NY corned beef. Dill pickles? Never. Garlic kosher sour is allowed. Your sandwich is anemic at best. Go back to NYC and go to Carnegie or Katz deli and find out what real corned beef is about

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Deni says:

You can cook it in a waffle iron also.

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Audree_buttercup says:

Another idea to use for a panini press if you don't own one is to wrap bricks in foil then heat in the oven. It presses and toasts just like a real press, just no grill marks.

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Momgateway says:

I've been wanting to make this for a long time. Thanks for this recipe!

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Barb says:

That looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!

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Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

Ali- sorry about that! The link in the post works now and here it is again:
https://ourbestbites.com/2009/09/memphis-style-coleslaw

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Ali says:

Could you post the link to the coleslaw? The link doesn't seem to work 🙁

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Becky T says:

Oh, Kate. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am excited to eat our corned beef JUST for the leftovers now. I can't wait to make this (and I guarantee my husband is going to be thrilled). I am not a total slaw lover, but I think it's to die for on a sandwich, so I can't wait to make this!

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Kate @ Our Best Bites says:

Angie and Emily–hahaha!!! No words. Ron and I had a brief hand-holding, phone-talking relationship and when it ended, I was pretty sure I was going to die of heartbreak. I'm just glad I'll never be 14 again.

Reply
Scott and Em Hoffman says:

Kate, I didn't know you had a crush on Ron R., woo woo!!! Loved your Tzatziti sauce, made it with falafel, Scott and the girls loved it. Can't wait for the gyro recipe(hint hint).

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Mrs. Rogers says:

I was going to make tacos for dinner but now I will be making corn beef sandwiches….mmmm, my taste buds are salivating after reading your post!

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hawkeyejlp says:

My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. How I would love a panini press–but would no longer fit in any of my clothes. Looks fabulous!

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Lisa says:

The insistance to eat slaw on the sandwich reminded me of a sandwich created by a friend who managed a sandwich shop for many years. Onion roll with thousand island dressing, add deli sliced turkey, deli sliced ham, swiss cheese, and a little slaw made with Good Seasons dressing (instead of mayo). YUMMY!
This sandwich sounds great! I'm looking forward to trying it and your coleslaw recipe.

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Angie A. says:

AHH, Ron R. Those were the days!! This does look yummy though, I may have to give it a whirl.

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Tricia says:

Reuben sandwiches are my most favorite thing in the world I LOVE SAUERKRAUT, not a huge fan of coleslaw. . . but my hubby loves it so I might have to take a gander! Sara have you tried this recipe?

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Laurel says:

I don't have a panini maker, so I use my Foreman grill. Works like a charm!

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Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

"Modest yet tasty" I loved that comment Kate, lol.

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Carrian says:

I'm just realizing that I didn't post anything for st patrick's day!! At least I have your beautiful sandwich to look at!

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lindsey says:

Looks delicious!
You can also use a George Foreman Grill if you don't have a panini grill. My panini press works the best, but using a George is a close second!

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peasandcues says:

I also grew up in Cleveland, but we currently live in Tennessee. I can't wait to get back to the delis someday!!

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Emma says:

These sound and look wonderful! Thanks for the inspiration… however, I think the US corned beef and the UK corned beef must be different beasts – ours comes in a rectangular(ish) tin can with a funny little key to open it and is sliced like say pork luncheon meat – looks nothing like your picture 🙁 x

Reply

FAQs

What is the difference between a Reuben and a corned beef sandwich? ›

What is the difference between a corned beef sandwich and a Reuben sandwich? A classic Reuben sandwich has corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, and is served on rye bread. This corned beef sandwich has coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. Sometimes we use different bread or cheese.

Find Out More ›

What is deli corned beef? ›

Corned beef is meat that has been cured in a salt solution. Before refrigeration, meat was salted and cured to be preserved. Historically, any type of meat could be put through the curing process that makes what we know as corned beef today. In the U.S., corned beef is made from beef brisket.

Learn More Now ›

What is deli corned beef made of? ›

Corned beef is made from beef brisket that has been salt-cured, usually in a brine that contains sugar, saltpeter, or sodium nitrite which retains the pink color, and other seasonings like black pepper, bay leaves, coriander, and cloves.

Keep Reading ›

Is Arby's Reuben real corned beef? ›

About the Sandwich

Marbled rye bread filled with freshly sliced corned beef, melty Swiss Cheese, tangy sauerkraut and creamy Thousand Island dressing. This is a Reuben sandwich inspired by the New York standard.

Learn More ›

Is Russian dressing the same as Thousand Island? ›

We also get the confusion around the differences when it comes to Russian dressing vs thousand island. While Russian dressing is supposedly more complex in flavor, with rumors of it once containing caviar, the real difference for the mayo-ketchup base sauce is a spicy kick from horseradish!

Learn More Now ›

What is the best cut of corned beef for sandwiches? ›

The flat/round cut is lean and the prettier cut of the two. Flat/lean cut is usually what's used for thin sandwich slices, while point is typically cut thicker and served with cabbage/potatoes. Start by taking corned beef out packaging and rinsing it.

Is deli sliced corned beef already cooked? ›

Thanks to our labor-intensive process, our sliced corned beef comes FULLY COOKED and can be reheated in less than 10 minutes (instructions are included in each package).

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What's the difference between deli corned beef and pastrami? ›

Corned beef is made from the leaner flat brisket. Pastrami is made with point brisket, which contains more marbling and fat. Pastrami can also be made with other cuts of beef, such as deckle (a lean shoulder cut) or navel (aka beef belly, which comes from the plate, a juicy section just below the ribs).

Is corned beef deli meat healthy? ›

The WHO classifies corned beef and other processed meats as potential carcinogens. Eating it regularly may increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Thus, it's best to eat it infrequently.

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Is deli corned beef healthy? ›

Corned beef has a high amount of sodium, cholesterol, and fats, which can cause health hazards. For example, excess consumption can lead to hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, as it is processed red meat, it is wise to take it in moderation.

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Why is corned beef called Reuben? ›

One origin story holds that Reuben Kulakofsky (his first name sometimes spelled Reubin; his last name sometimes shortened to Kay), a Lithuanian-born Jewish grocer residing in Omaha, Nebraska, asked for a sandwich made of corned beef and sauerkraut at his weekly poker game held in the Blackstone Hotel from around 1920 ...

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Is a Reuben still a Reuben without sauerkraut? ›

It isn't a reuben sandwich if it doesn't have sauerkraut. It is a grilled corned beef and swiss cheese sandwich with thousand island dressing on rye.

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Is a Reuben Irish or German? ›

Though both New York and Omaha claim to be home of the famous Reuben sandwich, it is actually created using German ingredients.

Tell Me More ›

What's the difference between corned beef Reuben and pastrami Reuben? ›