My absolute favourite thing to do with corned beef leftovers has to be making reuben sandwiches . There is just something magical about the combination of tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, creamy Russian dressing and Swiss cheese wrapped in rye! I like to grill my reuben sandwiches to melt the cheese and give the rye a nice and crispy texture a warm buttery flavour. Reuben sandwiches are pretty easy to make though there is one tricky part and that is dealing with all of the liquid in the sandwich from the juicy corned beef, the sauerkraut and the Russian dressing. No one likes a soggy sandwich and luckily there are some easy ways to deal with the problem. First you want to really squeeze the excess liquid from the sauerkraut and if it still has a lot of moisture you can saute it in a pan to get rid of even more of it. Next, you can also lightly toast the bread so that it can better withstand the liquid. Following these tips you will never be subjected to soggy reuben sandwiches again!
If you happen to have some Russian dressing in your fridge feel free to use it but if you don’t have it and you don’t want yet another bottle in your fridge then it is easy enough to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand. I often enjoy making my own dressings because I can make just enough and not have any leftovers competing for the limited space in my fridge and Russian dressing is one that I always make at home.
It’s so easy to make your own Russian dressings!
Reuben Sandwich
The classic reuben sandwich made with luscious corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, creamy Russian dressing and plenty of swiss cheese that is grilled until the cheese has melted and the rye bread is crispy and golden brown.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 2 slices rye, lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup swiss, shredded, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sauerkraut, squeezed and drained, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon russian dressing (see below)
- 2 ounces cooked corned beef, sliced or shredded, warm
directions
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Butter the outside of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese on the inside of one slice of bread, top with half of the sauerkraut, half of the russian dressing, the corned beef, the remaining russian dressing, sauerkraut, cheese and finally the other slice of bread.
- Add the sandwich to the pan and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Russian Dressing
A creamy red tangy dressing with a bit of a bite.
ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons onion, grated
- 1 tablespoon horse radish
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 1/4 teaspoon chili sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix everything.
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I think I’ve had an overdose of sandwiches in middle school , therefore traumatized (and gum too which I haven’t touched in nearly 10 years). But your reuben definitely doesn’t make me shudder like ham sandwiches do! YUM YUM!
Ahh, the beloved Reuben. Doesn’t it seem more popular than ever?
There is a Reuben panini on the cover of Bon Appetite this month.
This looks delicious! Now I have the craving, too.
That looks absolutely delicious! I’m craving a pseudo-reuben now, with thin apple slices under the cheese, and mustard instead of dressing…mmm…
Kevin, a Reuben is one of the best sangwiches arounnd!
I’ve only had it with zesty mustard, nevermind this russian dressing.
mmmmm….. brings back memories of cold, misty, foggy san francisco days when the fog was so thick that it hadn’t burned off by the time lunch came. my dad would bring my lunch to me about once or twice a week. and one day he brought a reuben (on toasted dark marlbled rye) and warm tomatoe soup in my new princess themed thermos. that began my love affair with corned beef, dark rye bread, and all things “princess”!!
There is nothing I love more than a really, really good Reuben sandwich!!
this is my favorite sandwich in the whole world!!!
Reuben sandwich are a favourite and even better making your own dressing.
The reuben is my favorite sandwich. BTW, Kevin, your photos are getting better and better!
I’ll have to revisit the Rueben sandwich Kevin…I used to have them all the time at the diners 😀
What I wouldn’t do for a bite of that sandwich – awesome – unfortunately way too much sodium for my dietary restrictions but doesn’t stop me from drooling.
I love a nice reuben and this looks great!
The cover of this month’s bon appetit is a corned beef sandwich on rye with gooey fontina cheese melting out of it that has had me drooling for days now, your version looks awesome!
Oh, a classic! This reminds me of my NYC days, they can make a mean reuben and delis there.
A good reuben is a thing of beauty, with the flavors all coming together to make total sandwichy goodness. That’s what your’s looks like! I think I want one now. Wait, I know I do.
And now, I too have a reuben craving :-/ Looks like a very tasty sandwich
The Reuben is our favorite sandwich, well, actually about the only sandwich we ever prepare . . . unless you count burgers as sandwiches.
Like you, we also prepare our own dressing, which I call “DocChuck’s Reuben Dressing”:
½ cup mayonnaise (REAL mayonnaise, please)
1/8 cup ketchup
¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Worcestershire
½ Tablespoon finely-chopped, fresh curly parsley
½ teaspoon grated yellow onion
½ Tablespoon prepared horseradish
dash of ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Mix ingredients – refrigerate at least one hour to let flavors blend.
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Great post honoring a great sandwich!
I’m not usually a sauerkraut lover, but I do love a good reuben!
Gorgeous Sandwich!
I am craving one right now!! Looks fantastic.
gimme a bite of that sandwich will u!!
i’m not going to lie, i never understood the whole russian-dressing-on-a-sandwich thing, but that’s one damn good looking sammich.
my personal favorite these days is hot pastrami on rye, straight up – no mayo, no mustard, just me and the meat.
I’m not a fan of corned beef EXCEPT when it comes to Reubens. I love these sandwiches and yours looks absolutely amazing. Good job!
Of course, after I saw your post, I ordered one at the deli! Mwahahaha! 😀
I always like sandwich. The Russian dressing looks like sauerkraut.
i’m like you…i enjoy certain sandwiches but never get enough of them! this is a great looking sandwich 🙂
I absolutely love a good Rueben… And they seem to be hard to find in the US now, bad ones, easy; good ones, not.
This one I can make myself – even better!
Made these for dinner last night, and they were delicious! 🙂
Heidi’s Deli here in Denver serves up the Reuben without grilling it. Passable. But not great. Every year about this time (Reubens for Good Friday?) I get a major crave for the real thing. And the only way is to make it the way I like it. Which is the way most other folks like it. EXCEPT, I like mustard on it. Spicy brown or yellow, it doesn’t matter. And it has to be grilled CRISP, but not burned. Alright ! That’s tasty.
The Reuben is a great sandwich. It is truly a taste to be desired. However, you can OD on these things.
A very nice blog you have here!
http://forum.phuketchefs.com/index.php
Have a look at mine please.
Best Regards fro Phuket/Thailand,
Gerd
it looks perfect just the way it is. I rarely have this sand but think I’d enjoy yours a lot.
This looks MUCH better than most. One word of advice: Don't drain the sauerkraut TOO much — the Reuben is SUPPOSED to be a moist sandwich. That, in a nutshell, is the entire trick to making a proper Reuben; making it as juicy as possible without having it turn into mush. It's a delicate balancing act. It's also why there is not such thing as a "take-out" Reuben. If it survives the trip home, it wasn't made very well in the first place.
This is my all-time favorite sandwich!
Rye bread has always scared me away from the Reuben, but that pictures is making me want to give it a chance.
So creative in making sandwiches,I really amaze with your innovation in making food more enticing to our palate… visit my traditional dishes from Malaysia.
Talk about fine looking Reubens, man, oh man… I can't get enough of corned beef.
I'm running out to the store now…
I happened upon a 50% off sale on corned beef last Saturday and decided to make you Rueben. Oh heaven! I am sooo glad that I went the extra mile and made the dressing myself instead of buying it. Awesome recipe!
Thank you
We are making a second batch of corned beef this week. I am looking forward to the sandwiches, as BF ate the entire one last time without as much as blinking. These sound mouth watering.
Hi Foodies,
I did make the Reuben Sandwich and it was very gooood.So this is the next thing . I want to make a Turkey Reuben Sandwich but I want to change a few things in the sauce.2014 KL love your recipe please keep making them. Friday
Excellent as always! The only change I made was substituting pickle relish for the 2 tbsp of grated onion.