Get ready for your not-so-typical, but oh so tasty, corned beef sandwich! This reuben sandwich recipe features grilled sourdough bread, lots of sliced corned beef, pickles, fermented cabbage, homemade Thousand Island dressing, diced onion, and melted pepper jack cheese!
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Do you avoid Reuben Sandwiches because they're served on rye bread? Me too!
It's time to end that nonsense with this delicious Reuben sandwich recipe. I use sourdough bread because I believe there is no tastier bread.
Although I love Swiss cheese, I decided to use pepper jack cheese instead. Even though pickles and onions aren't always included in a Reuben sandwich, I feel that they add a ton of flavor. You can always leave them out if you want, but if you do, we probably can't be friends!
Finally, you can use a few different corned beef options including my Instant Pot corned beef, smoked corned beef, or smoked pastrami!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This sandwich is customizable based on your preferences.
- It's a perfect way to use up leftover corned beef!
- If you enjoy mustard on your sandwiches, you have to try these pickled mustard seeds! They will add a pot of flavor and texture to your corned beef sandwich!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Corned Beef: If you're not in a hurry, I recommend making your own corned beef. Not only will it make a tastier sandwich, but you will have plenty of leftovers to make more sandwiches!
- Thousand Island Dressing: Although you can use Russian dressing or store-bought Thousand Island Dressing, sometimes it's fun and tastier to make your own dressing from scratch.
- Pepperjack: Reuben Sandwiches usually have Swiss cheese, but I'm breaking all the rules by using pepperjack, instead. Although I love Swiss cheese, I like the added kick that pepper jack provides.
- Sourdough: Since we're breaking all the rules today, let's break one more... I've never liked rye bread, so we'll be using good sourdough in this Reuben Sandwich recipe.
- Pickles: You can use store-bought or my refrigerator dill pickles!
🥪 How to Make A Corned Beef Sandwich
Step 1: Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Spread softened butter on opposite sides of the sourdough bread slices. Spread the Thousand Island dressing on the other side of the bread.
Step 3: Grill one slice of bread, buttered-side down, in a warm skillet over low heat. Grill corned beef at the same time, to help the cheese melt faster.
Step 4: Top bread with cheese and sauerkraut. Add warm corned beef and top with sliced pickles.
Step 5: If you want to splurge, add two additional slices of cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread. Grill the sandwich until both sides are golden brown. Slice in half and serve.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
A classic Reuben sandwich consists of grilled rye bread, sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, Sauerkraut, and lots of Russian dressing.
In my version, I'm using Thousand Island dressing instead of Russian, substituting sourdough for the rye bread, and using pepper jack instead of Swiss cheese.
A Reuben sandwich is very filling, so something small on the side would not be a bad idea. This is why I've listed this sandwich as two servings. It's meant to be shared unless you're starving!
One wonderful side option is potato salad. Or a simpler option like tomato soup. Of course, you can always go with the easiest option and serve the sandwich with a side of potato chips.
Reuben Sandwiches are usually slathered with Russian dressing, but I use homemade Thousand Island dressing instead. You might be wondering what the difference is. Let me explain the difference:
Both dressings contain mayo and ketchup, but there are a few differences. Russian dressing is usually a bit spicier due to the horseradish (which I hate and Scott loves). Russian dressing also has Worcestershire sauce in it.
Thousand Island dressing, on the other hand, has sweet relish, which I love. However, I also LOVE spicy food. I found an easy fix, I add both sweet relish and pickled jalapeno peppers so I get the spicy flavor without the dreaded horseradish taste.
Both sauces can also include vinegar/lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Although Russian dressing is a key ingredient in a Reuben sandwich, my sauce is more similar to Thousand Island dressing.
If you prefer the taste of Russian dressing, you may want to mix in some horseradish and Worcestershire sauce. Start with a ½ tsp. of each, taste, and add more if needed.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you don't have corned beef, you can substitute pastrami instead.
- Be sure to drain the sauerkraut thoroughly or else you may end up with a soggy sandwich.
- If you have store-bought Russian or Thousand Island dressing, use that instead of making the sauce from scratch.
- Make sure you use a low heat setting so that the bread doesn't burn before the cheese melts.
- If the bread is browned before the cheese has melted, microwave the finished sandwich for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- The reason I don't add salt to the dressing is that both the corned beef and the sauerkraut are salty, so adding more salt is not necessary.
🧀 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Method
- Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Spread softened butter on opposite sides of the sourdough bread slices. Spread the Thousand Island dressing on the other side of the bread.
- Grill one slice of bread, buttered-side down, in a warm skillet over low heat. Grill corned beef at the same time, to help the cheese melt faster.
- Top bread with cheese and sauerkraut. Add warm corned beef and top with sliced pickles.
- If you want to splurge, add two additional slices of cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread. Grill sandwich until both sides are golden brown. Slice in half and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you don't have corned beef, you can substitute pastrami instead.
- Be sure to drain the sauerkraut thoroughly or else you may end up with a soggy sandwich.
- If you have store-bought Russian or Thousand Island dressing, use that instead of making the sauce from scratch.
- Make sure you use a low heat setting so that the bread doesn't burn before the cheese melts.
- If the bread is browned before the cheese has melted, microwave the finished sandwich for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- The reason I don't add salt to the dressing is that both the corned beef and the sauerkraut are salty, so adding more salt is not necessary.
Terry Smith says
Love this sandwich because I couldn’t find a good loaf of marble rye or sauerkraut. Using sourdough bread and pickles liberated me.
Hilda Sterner says
I hear you, Terry, I've never been a fan of rye so for me it was an easy choice, haha.
Sandra says
Made this tonight. Love it ! Always use sour dough for my Reuben’s. Happy I’m not alone. I brown my sauerkraut to help with sogginess 💕💕
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for the review and the great tip, Sandra.
Ed Dunneback says
Thank you for the very useful information
Michelle says
Thank you for posting this recipe. We were out of rye bread and needed some inspiration. We really enjoyed the twist on the thousand island dressing. Such a great sandwich.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Michelle, I'm glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 I'll take sourdough over rye any day of the week!
Bill says
If you do not like horseradish, we cannot be friends 🙂
But I love your website, and have recommended it to my friends
God Bless
Hilda Sterner says
Oh, no, Bill! I'm sure we can find other common grounds besides horseradish. 😂 Thank you so much for your support. It's greatly appreciated! 🤗