Reuben Pinwheels in Puff Pastry are perfect for those who love the Reuben sandwich and have leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day. This recipe transforms your leftover corned beef into delicious and crowd-pleasing Reuben Pinwheels in puff pastry. In just a few simple steps, you can create a savory appetizer that's perfect for parties, game nights, or a fun twist on leftover nights.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Puff pastry is pre-made, so minimal prep is needed in creating tender and flaky pinwheels! In addition, the filling is combined in one bowl rather than layering the ingredients.
- Delicious Twist on a Classic: Reuben sandwiches are a favorite, and this recipe transforms those flavors into an irresistible appetizer.
- Perfect for Entertaining: Pinwheels are ideal for gatherings, offering bite-sized portions that are easy to grab and go making them a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
- Transforms Leftovers: Reuben pinwheels elevate leftover corned beef into something entirely new and exciting. It's a creative way to avoid feeling like you're just eating the same thing repeatedly.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
These Reuben Pinwheels use traditional Reuben ingredients encased in tender and flaky puff pastry.
- Store-bought Puff Pastry: This is readily available and works well, replacing the more traditional rye bread used in Reuben sandwiches.
- Traditional Reuben Fixin's: The filling for a traditional Reuben includes corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing. These pinwheels include the same tasty filling.
Step-by-Step Directions for Making These Yummy Pinwheels
- I started by mixing together the finely chopped corned beef, shredded Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing in a medium bowl. Once the ingredients were well mixed, I set the bowl aside.
- Next, I placed thawed store-bought puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and rolled it into a 13 x 10-inch rectangle.
- I spread the corned beef filling on the puff pastry leaving about a ½-inch border on the long sides of the puff pastry.
- Starting with a long end, I rolled the puff pastry and filling into a log, jelly-roll style. I sealed the edges and trimmed the ends.
- After that, I tightly wrapped the log with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This allowed the ingredients to stick together.
- After 20 minutes, I removed the plastic wrap from the log and used dental floss to cut it into ½-inch slices.
- I placed the pinwheel slices, cut side down, on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Then, I brushed each pinwheel with an egg wash.
- I baked the Reuben pinwheels in a preheated 400°F oven until the puff pastry was golden brown. This took about 18 minutes.
I removed the Reuben pinwheels from the oven and sprinkled them with minced parsley. Then, I transferred the pinwheels to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
I ended up with 24 amazingly yummy Reuben pinwheels. The puff pastry was tender and flaky, and the corned beef filling perfectly imitated the taste of a traditional Reuben sandwich.
These Reuben pinwheels are a delicious appetizer using leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day. This crowd-pleasing treat is perfect for parties, game nights, or a fun twist on leftover nights. Try them, and you'll definitely say, Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
This appetizer is perfect for any time of the year, whether you have leftover corned beef or not. Deli corned beef works just as well in this recipe.
Feel free to use Thousand Island dressing instead of the Russian dressing.
A lot of recipes call for rinsing sauerkraut before using it in a recipe. Personally, I don't bother rinsing the sauerkraut. I do, however, squeeze the liquid out using paper towels.
One of the beauties of this recipe is that the Reuben pinwheels are equally good right out of the oven or reheated later on. Therefore, feel free to make them ahead of time and reheat them in the oven right before serving. Also, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Over the years, I've learned that the easiest and cleanest way to cut slices from a log, such as the Reuben pinwheel roll, is to use dental floss. You'll be amazed at how slick this trick is!
- I've found that it's best to chop both the corned beef and the sauerkraut finely. The reason is that larger pieces of either the corned beef or the sauerkraut can make slicing the log a bit messy.
- Once the ends of the Reuben pinwheel log have been trimmed, you should be left with a 12-inch log. I like to use a ruler to mark half-inch increments in the log to help ensure that each slice is approximately the same size.
- I like to serve these Reuben pinwheels with my homemade Russian dressing on the side for dipping - yummy!
Other Delicious Corned Beef Recipes
If you're a fan of Reubens like I am, you'll absolutely love these recipes, starting with the ultimate recipe for making corned beef.
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Reuben Pinwheels in Puff Pastry - Quick and Easy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces, 170 grams) corned beef, finely chopped (See Tip 1)
- 1 cup (4 ounces, 116 grams) shredded Swiss cheese
- ¾ cup (3 ounces, 84 grams) sauerkraut, well-drained (See Tip 2)
- ½ cup (4 ounces, 116 grams) homemade Russian dressing (See Tip 3)
- 1 sheet (8.65 ounces, 245 grams) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
- 1 Tablespoon minced parsley for sprinkling, optional
- Additional Russian dressing for dipping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine the corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place the thawed puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 13 x 10-inch rectangle.
- Spread the corned beef filling onto the puff pastry, leaving a ½-inch border on both long sides.
- Starting at one of the long ends, roll the puff pastry and filling into a tight log, jelly-roll style. Seal the edges and trim the ends. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Cut into 24 half-inch slices. (See Tip 4)
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and brush with an egg wash made by whisking together one large egg and one tablespoon of water.
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven, and if desired, sprinkle with minced parsley.
- Serve with Russian dressing on the side for dipping.
- Yield: 24 Reuben Pinwheels. (See Tip 5)
Video
Tips/Notes
- You may use leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day festivities or deli corned beef. Just be sure to chop the corned beef finely.
- I like to place the sauerkraut between paper towels to squeeze out the excess liquid.
- You can substitute Thousand Island dressing for the homemade Russian dressing,
- The easiest and cleanest way to slice the Reuben log is to use dental floss.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen for up to three months. Reheat at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is crispy and the filling is well heated.
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