Corned Beef Melts Recipe - We are not Martha (2024)

These Corned Beef Melts are the perfect solution to your St. Patrick's Day leftovers. But they're so delicious, they'll have you making corned beef just so you can enjoy these sandwiches!

What's your favorite part of St. Patrick's Day? (please, please don't say green beer!!) For me, it's a tie between corned beef and Lucky Charms. And when I say corned beef, I think I actually mean leftover corned beef.

Because my favorite thing is really these corned beef melts that are just the best in the world. Kind of like Thanksgiving dinner sandwiches (which are my other favorite thing in the world), these corned beef sandwiches are chock full of St. Patrick's Day dinner leftovers. And cheese.

But you should know that I didn't put cabbage in them. Though I actually think that may be delicious, I fear it would turn many of you away. And as is, these corned beef melts are perfection.

Though my family is just a little bit Irish (just a wee bit, if you will), we do have one major St. Patrick's Day tradition... And that's eating corned beef with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes at some point around the holiday.

I've always really loved corned beef, but I don't think I've met anyone who loves corned beef quite as much as my husband! Now, we usually have corned beef twice a year: at St. Patrick's Day and on Chris's birthday.

But every time I make these corned beef melts with the leftovers, I say we need to have corned beef more often throughout the year. It's such an underrated dinner.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

I developed this sandwich in the event that you need something to do with all those corned beef leftovers... But! I think you're going to love it so much that you'll find it's worth making corned beef from scratch just so you can enjoy a corned beef melt.

Really, the only thing more delicious than corned beef is corned beef with cheese and caramelized onions sandwiched between two slices of rye bread slathered with lots of grainy mustard.

Corned beef melts are SO easy to make (especially with leftover meat) and it's hard not to fall in love with them. I have to admit I enjoy them more than I enjoy the actual corned beef dinner itself.

🥩 How to make corned beef for sandwiches

If you're making these sandwiches from scratch and don't yet have leftover corned beef waiting for you, don't worry... Corned beef is easy to make! Basically, all you need in order to make it is 1) corned beef and 2) time. It will take about 3 hours to boil, so make sure you leave time. If you bake it, it will take about 2 hours, depending on how large your corned beef is.

If I'm making corned beef solely for the purposes of this sandwich, I don't do anything fancy to it.

For boiled corned beef: just bring a large pot of water to a boil with the corned beef in it. Then reduce to a simmer and leave for about 3 hours (or until tender). Then turn the flame off and leave the beef in the water for 15 more minutes.

After boiling, I like to dry the meat, rub it with a little brown sugar and mustard, and broil it for 5-10 minutes so it can develop a super tasty crust.

For baked corned beef: start by rinsing it under cold water. Then dry it and rub a little brown sugar/mustard and salt and pepper mixture over the top . Wrap it tightly in foil and and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour per pound. You can broil it for a few minutes if you want to get it a little crispy!

If you want a delicious homemade seasoning that's better than those packets that come with the beef, try this corned beef seasoning!

🧀 What cheese goes with corned beef?

I honestly don't think you can go wrong when it comes to pairing corned beef with cheese. I use provolone for these corned beef melts because I think it's a nice mild complement to the beef and mustard.

But traditionally you'll find Ruebens made with Swiss cheese, which I also love (ruebens also have sauerkraut and Russian dressing) and which also works really well for these melts.

I also think cheddar cheese would taste great, especially if you can get a nice Irish cheddar!

🗒 Ingredients

These sandwiches are so easy and not too many ingredients are required to make them. Here's everything you need, but also be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe directions:

• Leftover corned beef
• Unsalted butter
• Thinly sliced onion
• Brown sugar
• Salt & pepper
• Rye bread
• Grainy mustard
• Provolone or Swiss cheese

👩‍🍳 How to make corned beef melt sandwiches

Making these corned beef sandwiches are pretty simple and consist of just your leftover corned beef, provolone cheese, caramelized onions, and grainy mustard... All on rye bread slathered with some butter.

If you have your corned beef already made, you'll want to start by caramelizing the onions. Easiest thing ever.

All you do is add a couple tablespoons of butter and some brown sugar in a medium skillet with the sliced onions. Cook on medium heat for about 20-30 minutes until the onions are deep brown and caramelized.

Now it's time to construct the sandwiches! Butter one side of all your bread slices. And put one from each sandwich on a skillet over medium heat. I'm making 2 sandwiches below.

Spread a thin layer of mustard on the bread slices. Place a slice of provolone cheese on top of the mustard. And top with caramelized onions. And some of that beautiful corned beef.

Top with the other slice of buttered bread. And after cooking a few minutes on one side, carefully flip the corned beef sandwich over. Cut in half. And enjoy.

With a beer or something. But hopefully not a green one. Maybe even some whisky or some Baileys. Actually, save those for dessert.

You need to focus on these corned beef melts and they go perfectly with a nice cold beer.

Anyway, let's talk these corned beef melts. They are seriously awesome. I love pretty much any kind of melt (tuna, grilled ham and cheese, etc.), but this is no lie, one of the best I've ever had. I always think I'm not the biggest rye bread fan, but then I realize that when it's all buttery and toasted, it's so, so good!

Aside from the corned beef, the caramelized onions totally MAKE this sandwich, but everything about it is totally perfect. I do kind of wish I had added cabbage to it, because that would have been fun. Next time.

🎉 Variations on recipe

I love the simplicity of these sandwiches, but there's lots you can do to them to suit them perfectly to your own tastes. Here are some ideas:

• If you want these corned beef melts to have more of a rueben feel, add sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing in place of the grainy mustard.

• Add jalapeños or pepperoncini peppers or use a spicy mustard or mayo or pepper jack cheese to add a little heat to the sandwiches.

• To give the sandwiches even more of an Irish twist, add cooked cabbage to them or spread on a layer of mashed potatoes or even a simple Irish butter.

• Top the melts with a fried or poached egg on top of the corned beef and serve the sandwich for breakfast! You could also include some crispy hash browns within the sandwich for a little crunch.

I'm legit about to run out to the store to buy more corned beef just so I can make these again. There are still a few more weeks before St. Patrick's Day, but it's certainly not too early to wear your green, pour yourself a beer, and salute the Irish with this sandwich.

But really, I'd eat this absolutely any time of the year, leprechauns or not!

🍀 More St. Patrick's Day recipes

While these corned beef melts are a St. Patrick's Day staple in my house, there are so many delicious Irish recipes that are perfect for the season! Plus, I'm always sure to pair corned beef with a fun dessert. Here are some of my favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes:

• Lucky Charms Ice Cream
• Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle (from All That Jas)
• Irish Beef Stew Pie (from Real Food by Dad)
• Guinness Doughnuts with Irish Whiskey Frosting
• Corned Beef Hash (from Bowl of Delicious)
• Mint Macarons with Bailey's Buttercream
• Irish Soda Bread (from Annie's Noms)
• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Filling and Baileys Frosting
• Lucky Charms Martini (better than green beer!)
• Bailey's Ice Cream

Do you have any St. Patrick's Day food traditions?

📖 Recipe