What do you do with that leftover corned beef and cabbage from Saint Patty’s Day? Yes, a corned beef hash is always a good choice, but let’s think bigger. By adding bacon and cheese you can make an irresistible Bacon and Beer Cheese Leftover Corned Beef Panini.
(Original post date Feb. 27, 2018. Links and post updated Jan. 31, 2022)
Every year that I make Corned Beef I always end up with leftovers. It is a dish that takes time to prep and makes, so, why not make the most of it. I like to make pizza, hash, and this Bacon and Beer Cheese Corned Beef Panini to name a few of my family’s favorites.
The trick to cooking with leftovers is to bring different flavors and textures to each dish. By adding a few extra ingredients every time you will forget that you are eating leftovers.
The best thing about Bacon and Beer Cheese Corned Beef Panini is that I use both leftover corned beef and the sautéed onion and mustard cabbage. To help minimize waste we try to find creative ways to use every leftover even side dishes.
How to Make Bacon and Beer Cheese Corned Beef Panini
To make this sandwich the first step is to make the beer cheese. I used stout beer but you could also brown ale or beef stock if you want a nonalcoholic option.
- Add the butter and flour to a medium pot over medium heat. Add Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt, and cook for a few minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the stout beer until thickens. It should be a gravy consistency. If it’s very thick, add more beer a quarter cup at a time.
- Add shredded gouda and sharp cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside for later.
Once the beer cheese is ready it is time to brown the bacon and caramelize the onions.
- Cook bacon until it is crispy. Yes, the microwave bacon is a great shortcut for this recipe.
- Place butter, onions, and a pinch of salt in a deep skillet. Cook onions on medium-low heat until they become tender.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over the onions. Stir in until it is completely melted and coating the onions. Remove from the heat and set aside for later
Time to build and press the panini.
Tip and Trick: To slice beef into slices and not shreds go against the grains of the meat.
- Preheat a panini press to medium heat. If you do not have a panini press use two pans one to cook the sandwich one to push it down.
- Brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil.
- Layout the 8 slices of rye bread. Spread beer cheese on each slice of bread opposite the side you brushed with olive oil.
- On 4 slices of bread, stack equal amounts of corned beef, bacon, sauteed onion mustard cabbage, and caramelized onions. Top each stack with the remaining bread slices.
- Place sandwiches in panini press and close. Allow the panini to cook until grill marks appear.
- Once grill marks appeared and the sandwiches are ready. Slice diagonally, serve, and enjoy!
More Leftover Creations
FAQ and Tips
Common Questions that get asked about the recipe, and tips to save you time and money.
- Does it matter the type of bread I use?
Absolutely NOT! Just keep in mind you will be pressing down the bread so you want a high quality bread that doesn’t fall apart easily. - I don’t have the mustard cabbage is there something else I can use?
I recommend kraut or just regular shredded cabbage. Cole slaw is also great on this sandwich. - Can make this ahead of time for lunch?
Yes, you can but the sandwich is the best when served fresh off the press.
Recipe for Bacon and Beer Cheese Leftover Corned Beef Panini
Bacon and Beer Cheese Corned Beef Panini
Equipment
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Panini Press
Ingredients
- 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ lb corned beef thinly sliced
- 8 strips bacon
- 1 cup sauteed mustard onion cabbage
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- 3 tbsp butter divided
- salt
- ¼ tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 bottle stout beer
- ½ tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 oz Gouda cheese shredded
- 8 slices marble rye bread thick sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Beer Cheese Soup
- Add 2 tablespoons butter and flour to a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk together to form a roux as the butter melts. Add Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt, and cook roux for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk stout beer into roux slowly until thickens. It should be a gravy consistency. If it's very thick, add more beer a quarter cup at a time.
- Once the mixture is together, add shredded gouda and sharp cheddar cheese and whisk until melted completely!
- Remove from the heat and set aside for later.
Brown Sugar Caramelized Onions
- Place remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, onions, and a pinch of salt in a deep skillet. Cook onions on medium-low heat until they become tender 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the onions and stir in until it is completely melted and coating the onions.
- Remove from the heat and set aside for later
Building the Sandwich
- Fry the bacon until crisp and brown. Remove from pan and set on paper towel
- Pre-heat a panini press to medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray if the make and model recommend you do so before cooking.
- Brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil.
- Lay out the 8 slices of rye bread. Spread 1 tablespoon of beer cheese on each slice of bread opposite the side you brushed with olive oil.
- Stack equal amounts of corned beef, bacon, sauteed onion mustard cabbage, and caramelized onions on 4 of the slices. Top each stack with the remaining bread slices.
- Place sandwiches in panini press close and allow to cook until you toasted grill marks appear. You may have to cook in multiple batches until all sandwiches are toasted and pressed.
- Once grill marks appeared and the sandwiches are nicely toasted remove, slice diagonally, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Oh. My. God. You had me at “cheese”.
I was hungry already, but now I’m starving! I love paninis.
Well sorry, I made you even more hungry!! LOL I think you can make any meal better with bacon and cheese they should really have their own food group!
omg this looks so good! I’m gonna have to gather all the ingredients to make this one day <3 Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!!
OMG this looks to die for… grilled cheese works with everything! Great idea for St. Pattys
Thank you so much!! There is something about a grilled sandwich just makes it feel more like a meal!
Anything cheese give to me right now! This looks so good!!
Oh, I am a sucker for cheese… It is my late night snack and is added to too many meals a week, but I am not complaining!!
This sounds soooo good! I love your tip to use leftover corned beef.
I am doing my best to limit my kitchen waste. Good for the planet and my pocketbook so it is a win-win! Thank you!
This looks so delicious!!!! Saving this for my next sandwich makin day
Thank you!! Enjoy!!
Just the title has my mouth watering! Oh do I wish I had the ingredients to make this for supper tonight. WOW!
🙂 gwingal
Thank you so much!! I don’t think one could ever go wrong when a combo of bacon and cheese is thrown into the mix!
This looks amazing. I need one!! I can’t imagine how delicious the beer cheese is.
I love beer cheese with some salt salty warm pretzels its a weakness. So I thought why not put it on a sandwich too, oh and I am glad I did!
Yum! Would not have thought about corned beef for a panini! Fun idea for St. Patrick’s Day!
I got the idea a few years ago when I was at my local market and they had it at the deli counter, I had some leftover at home. so I thought why not put it in a sandwich. Over the years this is what it involved into!
I love paninis and this looks delicious!!! And beer cheese??? That’s a thing? I got to try it out!
Oh yes!! Beer Cheese is a thing I usually take mine with a nice warm salty soft pretzel but it is great as a sandwich spread too!!
Oh man, this looks so amazing! I never make corned beef, but this seems like a good reason to buy some! So yummy looking!!
The best thing about this time of the year is most deli counters have corned beef and all you have to do is ask for it and tell them how you would like it sliced. So if you don’t want to make it that is another great option.
Bacon and beer? Sold! This looks amazing ?
Hahaha!! I know right! I am more of a Bacon and Cheese lover but with beer, it is totally better!
Adding this to next week’s menu! It looks scrumptious!
Awesome!! Thank you!!
Wow, I would never think to put all these things together in one, but it does sound yummy. Making me want a panini right about now.
Thank you!! It is a flavor bomb dish!
This looks great. I only eat meat two months out of the year, I will have to save this page for then and give it try.
Oh, what months do you eat meat? I am trying to do more plant-based meals, but I find the longer I go without meat the harder it is for my body to digest it! I find it awesome you do it only two months a year would love to hear your tricks!
Honestly my body has never done well with a lot of meat. I do eat meat in November and December, and its mainly to make things easier for the Hoidays. I have other dietary restrictions because of an allergy. I can’t dismiss those restrictions. I just find it too hard to find something to eat at Holiday parties if we are eating no meat at that time.
I totally get the whole holiday thing, my parents come to my house for Thanksgiving and they are pescatarians but are trying to go vegan now, so I have two Thanksgiving every year one for the meat lovers and one for the plant lovers LOL. What dietarian restrictions when it comes to your allergies? I have a hypersensitivity many foods, too much of certain things send me to full blow allergic reaction thank god no anaphylactic shock. Corn and Soy are my two big ones.
So I have a really complicated allergy. I am allergic to this plant called balsam of peru. They make hundreds of derivitives out of it and put it in foods, meds, and cosmetics. At least here in the US they do, its been made illegal in some countries. In addition it also has a lot of chemical twins. The older I get the more things I react to because the more you are exposed the more allergic you become. When it comes to food I have lots of little crazy things I can’t have. But the biggest things I try to avoid are citrus with rinds (so lemons, limes, etc… ) and tomatoe products (though at the moment I can still have fresh tomatoe).
I had to google that!! I have had so many allergy tests but they can’t do a standard inhalent test on me anymore, really bad reaction last time. Allergy shots are a no go after anaphylactic shock twice, I live my life allergy medicated. But!! I have never heard of this, I wonder if it is a standard patch test work up, or if only by request. I am thinking I may need to have that added next time I go in, because it is in everything, and certain spices do cause skin flare-ups on me! Wonder why it is still legal here! Thank you for sharing!! I was full blown allergic to citrus (mainly oranges) and tomatoes in my mid-teen years but when I was 25 after not having it for so long and the human body being the way it is I am able to have it now from time to time, but too much is no good. It is amazing when you become allergic to something how much of that one thing you realize you consume and how many things are made with it. You know?!? Well, now I have to go check out your shampoo and conditioner review!
Allergies have a way of complicating life for sure. The balsam of peru allergy test was not in the regular prick test at my doctors office. Its in the fragrance mix patch that you have to request. They classify it as a fragrance allergy, but its so much more complicated than that. I know there are different ways to be tested, but I had the patch done.
Oh my goodness I’ve never tried making a corn beef paninin but I’m sure I’d love it!
I used to not be a huge corned beef fan but now that I know how to make it myself I love it on everything even pizza!!
Oh wow! How delicious do these look. Definitely added to my meal plan for next week. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you!! Enjoy!!
This looks so delicious! I’d do it without the beer, though, I don’t drink alcohol.
It is even good without the beer if you would like to add a little flavor to your onions you can add a little beef stock then just let it reduce to coat the onions!
Mmmm this panini looks so tasty!! I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you enjoy!
This looks so yummy. I love using my panini press so I think I have to make this sandwich. I know my dad with love this sandwich.
I honestly need to take my panini maker out more love them but I don’t make them enough! Hope you guys enjoy your sandwiches!
Well, I definitely know what I’m making myself for lunch this weekend!! This looks divine!
Thank you!! Enjoy!!
Oohh..this looks super yummy. I want to try it!
Thank you!! I hope you do!!
Oh, my God, I hate you right now;) I’m so hungry and that panini looks so delicious! I need to go to check my fridge
That is so delicious looking. My mouth is watering!!!!
xo
Taylor
http://www.reeseshardwear.com
Leah this panini must be delicious, thanks for your recipe!