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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers

    Mini Reuben Croustades

    By Chula King · March 2, 2017 · Updated August 20, 2020 8 Comments

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    If you like Reuben sandwiches, you'll love these delectable Mini Reuben Croustades. They make the perfect bite-sized appetizer for your holiday gathering.

    If you like Reuben sandwiches, you’ll love these delectable bite-sized morsels. These Mini Reuben Croustades are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

    Mini Reuben Croustades

    The word “Croustade” (pronounced krü-ˈstäd) is a French culinary term for a crisp shell in which to serve food. In this case, the crisp shell is toasted Melba Thin Rye bread. This is a perfect accompaniment to the Reuben filling and melted Swiss cheese.

    Ingredients for the Mini Reuben Croustades:

    I used the following ingredients: Melba Thin Rye bread, unsalted butter, corned beef, Russian Dressing (homemade), sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese. If you have it, Gruyère cheese would be even better than the Swiss cheese.

    Ingredients for Mini Reuben Croustades

    Making the Croustades:

    For the Croustades, I cut two 2-inch circles from each slice of bread. I used a tart tamper to press each circle into the well of a mini muffin pan. Next, I use my fingers to “mash” the bread against the sides of the mini muffin well.

    Making the Croustades

    Then, I brushed each bread shell with melted butter before popping the pan into a 350° F oven for about 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, bread was crisp and lightly toasted all over. I removed the pan from the oven, and placed the shells on a wire rack to cool. At this point, I could store the shells in an airtight container or in the freezer until they were ready to be used.

    Croustade shells

    Making the Filling:

    With the shells made, I turned my attention to making the filling. I added chopped corned beef, drained and chopped sauerkraut, and Russian dressing in a small bowl. I stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon to ensure that the ingredients were well combined.

    Making the filling for Mini Reuben Croustades

    Because of the size of the shells, I found that a teaspoon worked the best to add the filling. I placed the filled shells on a baking sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil and topped each one with shredded Swiss cheese.

    Filling the shells

    Into a preheated 350° F oven the Mini Reuben Croustades went for about 10 minutes, until the filling was heated through and the cheese was melted. I placed them on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

    Mini Reuben Croustades

    I ended up with 36 absolutely delicious Mini Reuben Croustades garnished with chopped chives. Yum!

    For other Reuben delicacies, you should try my Ultimate Reuben, Reuben Quesadilla, Reuben Egg Rolls, or Easy Reuben Sliders.

    Mini Reuben Croustades

    I hope you liked this recipe for Mini Reuben Croustades as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, ever your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    If you like Reuben sandwiches, you'll love these delectable Mini Reuben Croustades. They make the perfect bite-sized appetizer for your holiday gathering.

    Mini Reuben Croustades

    If you like Reuben sandwiches, you’ll love these delectable bite-sized morsels. They’re perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American, Irish, St. Patrick's Day
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 36 mini reuben croustades
    Calories: 24kcal
    Author: Chula King

    Ingredients

    • 18 pieces Melba Thin Rye bread (See Note 1)
    • 2-½ Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
    • 1-½ cups 6-ounces finely chopped corned beef
    • ½ cup sauerkraut drained and finely chopped
    • ⅓ cup Russian Dressing (See Note 2)
    • ¾ cup 3-ounces finely shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese
    • 1 Tablespoon chopped chives for garnish optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350° F.
    • Croustades: Cut two 2-inch circle from each slice of bread. Press into mini muffin tins. Brush with melted butter and bake at 350° F 12 to 15 minutes or until bread is lightly toasted all over. Cool. Store in airtight container or freeze until ready to use.
    • Reuben Mixture: Combine corned beef, sauerkraut and Russian Dressing in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
    • Fill Croustades with Reuben mixture just before baking. Top with shredded Swiss cheese and bake at 350° F for 10 minutes or cheese is melted and Reuben mixture is until heated through. If desired, garnish with chopped chives. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 36 appetizers.

    Chula's Expert Tips

    1. May use party rye in place of Melba Thin Rye bread. Do not attempt to press into mini muffin pan, but rather toast flat, brushed with melted butter. Top with Reuben mixture and shredded Swiss cheese, and bake at 350° F for 10 minutes or until Reuben mixture is heated through and cheese is melted.
    2. Try my homemade Russian Dressing. It's so much better than the store-bought.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 24kcal | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 12mg | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.
    If you like Reuben sandwiches, you'll love these delectable Mini Reuben Croustades. They make the perfect bite-sized appetizer for your holiday gathering.

    More Appetizers

    • Old-Fashioned Ham Salad – Quick and Easy
    • Make Ahead Spinach Artichoke Tartlets
    • Easy Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
    • Chicken Caesar Salad Cups

    Filed Under: Appetizers, St. Patrick's Day

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon Rigsby says

      December 29, 2015 at 11:47 am

      These look delicious!

    2. Victoria says

      August 28, 2017 at 6:10 am

      I am going to keep this recipe to try soon, but am wondering why you took the shells out of the pans before filling instead of just keeping them in there? Or was this to make more? Just curious. Thank you.

    3. c2king says

      August 28, 2017 at 6:19 am

      One of the reasons that I take the shells out of the pan is that I often make them ahead of time and store them in a Ziploc bag. Also, once the shells are crisp, they stand up on their own, so do not need the support of the pan.

    4. Miranda says

      August 29, 2018 at 1:32 pm

      This is such a cute idea! I’ve made mini Reubens before, but never quite like yours! Thank you for sharing! I’m excited to try

    5. PudgeFactor says

      August 29, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      Hope you enjoy them. They’re absolutely delicious!

    6. Sam says

      September 13, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      Oh my gosh those little bread bowls are so cute! This was such a big hit at dinner last night that I’m going to have to make them again! Thanks for sharing!

    7. Larissa S With says

      March 14, 2021 at 6:47 pm

      Hello. What did you use to cut the circles from the bread? I am making these this coming weekend and want to be sure to make them right! Can I use a mini cupcake pan?

    8. Chula King says

      March 14, 2021 at 7:03 pm

      Hi Larissa,

      I used a 2-inch biscuit/cookie cutter to cut the bread and used a mini cupcake pan.

      Hope they turn out as good for you as they did for me!

      Chula

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