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Home » Appetizers » Mini Reuben Croustades

Mini Reuben Croustades

By Chula King · March 2, 2017 · Updated August 20, 2020 7 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

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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.

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)
  • 2-1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1-1/2 cups 6-ounces finely chopped corned beef
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut drained and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup Russian Dressing (See Note 2)
  • 3/4 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.

Related

Filed Under: Appetizers, St. Patrick's Day

Previous Post: « Irish Colcannon
Next Post: Quick and Easy Traditional Tartar Sauce »

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!

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I'm Chula King, the food blogger, award-winning photographer, and videographer behind Pudge Factor. Pudge Factor features amazing and well-tested recipes from my every day cooking. These recipes run the gamut from simple to sophisticated and everything in between. I not only present awesome recipes with tips and tricks that I've learned through the years, but also process photos from start to finish. For some of the recipes, I include videos detailing the actual making of the dish. Read More…

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