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Reuben Soup with corn beef and sauerkraut together with chicken broth and swiss cheese makes a recipe that will put you in mind of the uber-famous sandwich.
Do you love Reubens? The sandwich is so, so good but it can be a little heavy. If you crave the taste but would like something a bit lighter, this soup is exactly what you’re looking for. And speaking of crazy good soups, I’m crushing on Cheeseburger Soup and Spanish Soup. If you make any of these, take a picture and post it in the comments!
Reuben Soup
First of all, you know you have to have some delicious rye bread on the side, right? It’s almost criminal NOT to have it. I’m not sure why it’s the perfect match with corned beef, but it sure is.
You’ll need a dutch oven or a nice size soup pot for this recipe. If you don’t have one, they’re pretty cheap. And honestly, if you don’t want to spend the money, check out a thrift store near you.
Making the Soup
Once you have the butter, onion, and garlic in the pot and you’ve cooked until the onion is translucent and the garlic is really smelling good, crank the heat up to a boil. That’s when you add in the flour for a bit of thickness.
Stir, stir, stir. Once it looks smooth and doesn’t have a bunch of “flour lumps,” pour in the chicken broth.
Flour lumps are the worst. If you’ve ever bitten into one, you know what I mean. Believe me, I’ve cooked up a lot of flour lumps in my day. I’ve stood over a pot of clumpy stuff that was supposed to be nice and creamy but was anything but.
Please tell me I’m not the only one.
Leftover Soup
If you have any soup leftover, you can save some for several weeks by freezing it. You’ll need some plastic containers with lids. Pour the soup in the container, but leave it to sit for a minute if it’s hot. Don’t forget to leave some space at the top of the container because the liquid will expand when it’s frozen.
You should also know that when the soup comes out of the freezer, any soup really, you may need to punch it up a bit with some spices when it thaws. I don’t know what happens to soup when it’s frozen for later, but it can lose an iota of flavor.
5 from 1 vote
Reuben Soup
Reuben Soup, with its corn beef, sauerkraut, chicken broth, and swiss cheese, is the soup version of the uber-famous sandwich. Treat yourself to a bowl of serious comfort food!
Using a dutch oven or a soup pot add the butter and melt it on medium-high heat.
Add the onions, cook until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Stir frequently.
Add in the garlic, cooking for about 1 minute (or until fragrant).
Stir often.
Increase temp to bring to a boil.
Add the flour, stirring often.
Pour in the chicken broth.
Stir in the corned beef and sauerkraut.
Once it has boiled begin to reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover/ simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the sour cream, chives and 1/2 of the shredded Swiss cheese. (1/2 of the 1 cup of cheese.)
Stir well.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes for the cheese to melt.
Garnish with more Swiss cheese.
Serve with a rye bread.
Last Step:
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A Reuben sandwich is typically made with corned beef. It would taste great with pastrami too, it just wouldn't be a classic Reuben! Bottom line: You can't go wrong with either of these flavor-packed deli meats.
One key step no matter what is to pre-heat both the corned beef and the sauerkraut, so that you're not trying to warm through the entire jam-packed sandwich and instead are just trying to melt the cheese and toast the bread.
Perhaps owing to its absence of an exact origin story, the Rachel is certainly more of a pliable sandwich than the classic Reuben as far as ingredients are concerned. The first major difference is that the Rachel swaps brisket-based corned beef for pastrami, which comes from a comparatively leaner cut of the cow.
While the Reuben sandwich itself doesn't have Irish roots (it was thought to be created in Omaha, Nebraska mid-poker game) the meat inside it – corned beef, does. Well, it kind of does. The Irish-corned beef relationship is considered to be much more Irish-American than it is purely Irish.
Swiss cheese: Swiss cheese is generally used for a Reuben Sandwich because of its mild flavor. You may also try mozzarella or provolone cheese, two more mild-tasting kinds of cheese.
Though pastrami and corned beef have the same nutritional elements, like protein and fat content, they have different quantities of salt. The sodium content in corned beef is higher compared to pastrami. Because of this, many people consider pastrami healthier and more flavorful than corned beef.
Both kinds of meat are cured, but pastrami is then coated with a flavorful spice rub and smoked. Why is my Reuben sandwich soggy? The culprit is most likely the sauerkraut. Be sure to drain off as much liquid as possible from the sauerkraut before piling it onto your Reuben sandwich to prevent any sogginess.
The Rachel sandwich is one of several variations on the famous sandwich. Instead of the classic corned beef and sauerkraut, the Rachel is usually made with turkey or pastrami and coleslaw. Both sandwiches are made with Swiss cheese and rye bread.
The problem here is that a Reuben is, or should be, a melt. A melt is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich with other stuff in the middle. That means the sandwich should be assembled and then pan-fried with butter long enough to toast the bread and heat the fillings.
In some parts of the United States, especially Michigan, this turkey variant is known as a "Georgia Reuben" or "California Reuben", and it may also call for barbecue sauce or French dressing instead of Russian dressing. The name may have originated from the 1871 song "Reuben and Rachel".
But the Reuben is a deeply early-20th-century American Midwestern creation, a Jewish sandwich that isn't kosher, made by an assimilated Eastern European whose family left Russia, Poland, and Germany several generations before World War II.
Unfortunately, this traditional sandwich is NOT one that I consider "heart healthy" as it provides approximately 800 calories, 50 grams fat, 20 grams of the artery-clogging saturated fat, 40 grams carbohydrates, 36 grams protein, and a whopping 3200 mg. of sodium!
Top bread with 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island dressing, corned beef, sauerkraut, caraway seeds, Swiss cheese, then an additional 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island dressing. Finish sandwich with the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up.
The art of selecting the best corned beef cut – whether a flat cut or point cut – plays a crucial role in crafting the perfect Patrick's Day meal. Flat cuts are leaner and more uniform, making them ideal for slicing and recipes that call for a more refined presentation, such as corned beef hash or sandwiches.
Corned beef is made from brisket, which comes from the lower chest of the cow; pastrami is either made from a cut called the deckle, a lean, wide, firm shoulder cut, or the navel, a smaller and juicier section right below the ribs. These days, you may also see pastrami made from brisket.
Both feature corned beef and sauerkraut on rye bread, but where a corned beef sandwich keeps it simple with mustard and relish, the reuben takes things an extra step further by adding Russian dressing and melty cheese.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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