These Reuben meatballs have all the flavors of the classic sandwich in a bite sized format! They’re a great way to use up leftover corned beef from St Patrick’s Day too.
1Tbspdried minced onion(or ½ cup fresh, finely diced)
1 Tspminced garlic
1Tspdried parsley
1Tspsalt(or to taste)
½Tspblack pepper(or to taste)
¼CupThousand Island dressing
Instructions
Use a food processor to finely grind your stale rye bread into breadcrumbs, and your corned beef into a fine mince. Note: if you don’t have a food processor, you can use a Chef’s knife to chop the meat by hand, and a bag to crush the toasted bread; it’s just a lot more work this way
1 Pound corned beef, 3 Slices stale rye bread
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground corned beef, shredded swiss cheese, rye breadcrumbs, drained sauerkraut, eggs, and all the seasonings. Mix well until everything is evenly distributed
1 Cup shredded swiss cheese, ½ Cup sauerkraut, 2 Large eggs, 1 Tbsp dried minced onion, 1 Tsp minced garlic, 1 Tsp dried parsley, 1 Tsp salt, ½ Tsp black pepper
Form mixture into approximately 1” balls (you can use a Tablespoon or cookie scoop to make this easier) by rolling between your palms
To cook in the air fryer: place in the air fryer basket or rack in a single layer with air space between each meatball. Cook on the air fry setting at 400°F for 10-15 minutes, until browned as desired and cooked through. For the oven: bake on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes. In either case, the center should reach 165°F for food safety
Serve hot, with Thousand Island dressing for dipping (or with pretzel slider buns, extra kraut, and dressing for reuben meatball sliders)!
¼ Cup Thousand Island dressing
Notes
Corned beef brisket works the best for this (but you can use deli style too). Feel free to use a mix of corned beef and ground beef as well if you don’t have enough leftovers! Note that if you’re cooking a corned beef brisket from fresh to use for this, it takes 3-4 hours in the oven so I recommend cooking it a day in advance
You can use cooked cabbage instead of the sauerkraut if preferred. In either case, make sure to drain well and remove as much moisture as possible
Instead of swiss cheese, you can use Gruyere, or sub mozzarella (though it won’t be as “classic” of a reuben in this case)
If your rye bread isn’t stale, toast in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200°F, or in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 400°F. You just want it to try out and be crispy like breadcrumbs
Seasonings are all adjustable to taste. Caraway seeds are another great addition (I just don’t prefer them myself, so I don’t put them in)
While these Rueben meatballs are great on their own, consider serving ingredients like pretzel slider rolls, hoagie rolls, pasta, extra cheese for topping a casserole, etc
I prepared my Rueben meatballs in my Ninja air fryer and they were fully cooked (verified via thermometer) at 10 minutes total, without preheating. I added 2 additional minutes for a darker brown exterior, but this is personal preference
The meatballs are very soft while cooking, so I actually do not recommend flipping them. If you want to (to brown the bottoms more), do so gently with a pair of tongs. They firm up after sitting for a few minutes post-cooking
You can use perforated parchment paper in the air fryer if desired to make cleanup easier and to help prevent cheese from dripping through the grates
For a stuffed meatball option, add a cube of swiss cheese to the center of the meatball instead of incorporating it into the meat. Make sure to seal it well to prevent leaking
This recipe should make about two dozen meatballs, but it can vary slightly depending on the exact size of your meatballs
Store any leftover Rueben meatballs in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. They can also be frozen (cooked or uncooked) for up to 2 months for a longer term option
To reheat your Rueben meatballs, air fry at 325°F for 3-4 minutes (add 1-2 minutes if frozen), or place in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes (add 3 minutes if frozen)
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, amount of sauce used, any sides added, size of meatballs, and total quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
Keyword air fryer meatballs, air fryer party appetizers, corned beef and sauerkraut, corned beef meatballs, creative st patrick’s day dishes, irish meatballs, meatballs with sauerkraut, reuben meatballs, st patrick’s day appetizers