Reuben Casserole A La Orcas (Recipe)

Ingredients

8 ounces wide noddles, cooked and drained

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 pound sauerkraut, drained

2 cups chopped corned beef

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)

4 crisp rye crackers, crushed

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease a 2-quart baking dish.  Set aside.

2. While the noddles are still hot, place them in a bowl.  Add the butter or margarine and stir to coat.

3. Layer the buttered noddles, sauerkraut, corned beef and tomatoes in the prepared baking dish.  Dot with the Thousand Island salad dressing and sprinkle with the cheese.

4. Top the casserole with the crushed cracker crumbs and the caraway seed.

5. Bake, covered, in the 350° oven for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more or until bubbly.

Tips:

For easier serving, stir together the noddles, sauerkraut and half of the cheese before placing it in the baking dish.  Layer the corned beef, tomato slices and Thousand Island salad dressing, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

You may want to substitute caraway cheese for the Swiss cheese and caraway seed.

Corned is a beef product usually made from fresh beef brisket or beef round and cured with spices added to a salt brine.  Corned beef tastes slightly salty and has a deep red color.  You'll find ready-to-cook corned beef in the meat case.

An easy way to crush crackers is to place them inside a heavy plastic bag and then roll a rolling pin over them.