Reuben Sandwich with Homemade Russian Dressing

Though the sandwich may be enjoyed hot or cold, we love serving it HOT. The meat is heated and cheese melts and the tangy dressing penetrates into the sauerkraut creating an irresistible grilled sandwich.

What Ingredients go on a Reuben Sandwich?

MEAT – Corned beef that’s store-bought (deli dept), or use leftover homemade corned beef.
SAUERKRAUT – Homemade Sauerkraut or storebought will work great.
DRESSING – Tangy homemade Russian dressing.
CHEESE – Swiss cheese is the classic cheese used.

How to Make a Reuben Sandwich?

Prepare the Russian dressing – just stir it together.
Butter one side of each slice of bread.
Add the dressing, corned beef, sauerkraut, and cheese to the bread and close to create a sandwich.
Cook both sides of the bread slices as a grilled cheese until the cheese melts and bread slices are crispy.

How to Make Russian Dressing?

Though you can purchase Russian dressing or even substitute with Thousand Island dressing instead, the homemade dressing is SO GOOD and really easy to make.

In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, chili garlic sauce, lemon juice, creamy horseradish, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, onion, paprika, salt and pepper until creamy.

TIPS for Making a Reuben-

Bread – You want to make sure to use a good quality rye bread as it adds so much flavor to the sandwich.
Sauerkraut – Be sure to drain as much liquid from the sauerkraut as you can or the sandwich will be soggy. TIP – If you don’t like sauerkraut, you can use Coleslaw instead.
Garlic butter – If you really like garlic, sprinkle some garlic powder over the butter spread on the bread slices before cooking the sandwich.
Meat – Though corned beef is the classic meat used in a Reuben, you can substitute for pastrami.
Panini – You can use a panini press or a griddle to cook the sandwich instead of a skillet if you have one.
Dressing – The dressing does have some heat in it from the chili garlic sauce. If you don’t like spicy food, add the sauce to taste.