A delicious deli-style sandwich which is perfect to make after you serve corned beef for dinner and have leftovers. Use a good quality hearty bread from the bakery, which will both stand up to toasting, and also soak up the juices from the coleslaw. This sandwich is loaded with both flavors and textures and perfect with a pickle and some crunchy kettle chips.
Ingredients Needed for a Corned Beef Sandwich
Bread: Traditional corned beef sandwiches are often made on Rye, but feel free to use your favorite hearty sandwich bread. I personally love a good sourdough.
Cheese: Swiss or baby swiss offers a gentle tang plus lots of creaminess. I also love havarti!
Meat: Leftover corned beef (or purchase from your deli).
Spread: Though bottled Russian Dressing is often served on the classic, a 1:1 spread of dijon mustard and mayo makes an easy and flavorful option as well.
Veggie Crunch: Sourcraut is a classic corned beef combination, but we like to use our favorite coleslaw instead.
How to Build your Corned Beef Sandwich:
1. Spread sauce of choice on both sides of bread, I’m using a 1:1 combo of dijon mustard and mayo, and place cheese on one side (or both!)
2. Pile on Corned beef. Sliced or shredded, a little or a lot. Up to you!
3. Drizzle both sides of bread with olive oil and toast on a panini press
3. Heat it in the microwave. This is a last resort.
4. Add Coleslaw
I like to wait until after toasting to add the coleslaw so it doesn’t get warm or soggy. The cold, crunchy cabbage on the hot melty sandwich is such a great combo.
Serve with a generous pickle spear and crunchy kettle chips for a perfect deli-style lunch! Fresh lemonade would be a great bonus 🙂
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Deli-Style Corned Beef Sandwich
Ingredients
- Spread : mix 1 part dijon mustard with 1 part mayo
- Sturdy bread: I recommend sourdough rye, or sourdough rye
- Corned beef: leftover homemade or purchased from deli
- Coleslaw
- Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Spread both pieces of bread with mayo-dijon mixture and lay cheese on both slices. Add corned beef, close sandwich and drizzle both sides with olive oil.
- Broil, toast, or grill until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Carefully lift up sandwich and fill with coleslaw and serve immediately with a dill pickle and kettle chips.
Questions & Reviews
I’m making corn beef sandwiches tonight, fortunately I purchased coleslaw from the deli. I will be trying this delicious looking sandwich..hmmm!!!!
Made this for Lunch today. Yum!!
How do you prepare your corned beef and cabbage?
Any tips would be fabulous! Thanks!
devatephthompson at gmail dot com
While i do love corned beef, I cannot stand Panini grills. A baker goes to a lot of trouble to give each style of bread it’s characteristic qualities, flavor, crust and crumb to name a few and what do people do. Squash it flat into a blob of bread dough and unevenly toast the outside. Not yummy at all to me. NO Panini grills in my household, but each to their own.
You really want a good corned beef sandwich? Come to Corned Beef Row in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. There you get a hot corned beef, but it’s the meat and cheese that are hot, not the bread. I had to wait 10 minutes for a sandwich from Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen to cool down to the point of no longer being able to cause third degree burns in my mouth. Plus the thing was so greasy, it soaked through the paper before I even had a chance to sit down. If that’s what people call a good corned beef sandwich, they can have it. I’ll stick with the traditional corned beef sandwich where I can start eating it when I sit down, and not have to count tiles in the ceiling while waiting for that piece of inedible crap to cool off.
You can cook it in a waffle iron also.
Another idea to use for a panini press if you don't own one is to wrap bricks in foil then heat in the oven. It presses and toasts just like a real press, just no grill marks.
I've been wanting to make this for a long time. Thanks for this recipe!
That looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!
Ali- sorry about that! The link in the post works now and here it is again:
https://ourbestbites.com/2009/09/memphis-style-coleslaw
Could you post the link to the coleslaw? The link doesn't seem to work 🙁
Oh, Kate. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am excited to eat our corned beef JUST for the leftovers now. I can't wait to make this (and I guarantee my husband is going to be thrilled). I am not a total slaw lover, but I think it's to die for on a sandwich, so I can't wait to make this!
Angie and Emily–hahaha!!! No words. Ron and I had a brief hand-holding, phone-talking relationship and when it ended, I was pretty sure I was going to die of heartbreak. I'm just glad I'll never be 14 again.
Kate, I didn't know you had a crush on Ron R., woo woo!!! Loved your Tzatziti sauce, made it with falafel, Scott and the girls loved it. Can't wait for the gyro recipe(hint hint).
I was going to make tacos for dinner but now I will be making corn beef sandwiches….mmmm, my taste buds are salivating after reading your post!
My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. How I would love a panini press–but would no longer fit in any of my clothes. Looks fabulous!
The insistance to eat slaw on the sandwich reminded me of a sandwich created by a friend who managed a sandwich shop for many years. Onion roll with thousand island dressing, add deli sliced turkey, deli sliced ham, swiss cheese, and a little slaw made with Good Seasons dressing (instead of mayo). YUMMY!
This sandwich sounds great! I'm looking forward to trying it and your coleslaw recipe.
AHH, Ron R. Those were the days!! This does look yummy though, I may have to give it a whirl.
Reuben sandwiches are my most favorite thing in the world I LOVE SAUERKRAUT, not a huge fan of coleslaw. . . but my hubby loves it so I might have to take a gander! Sara have you tried this recipe?
I don't have a panini maker, so I use my Foreman grill. Works like a charm!
"Modest yet tasty" I loved that comment Kate, lol.
I'm just realizing that I didn't post anything for st patrick's day!! At least I have your beautiful sandwich to look at!
Looks delicious!
You can also use a George Foreman Grill if you don't have a panini grill. My panini press works the best, but using a George is a close second!
I also grew up in Cleveland, but we currently live in Tennessee. I can't wait to get back to the delis someday!!
These sound and look wonderful! Thanks for the inspiration… however, I think the US corned beef and the UK corned beef must be different beasts – ours comes in a rectangular(ish) tin can with a funny little key to open it and is sliced like say pork luncheon meat – looks nothing like your picture 🙁 x