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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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The difference between a Rachel and a Reuben is the use of cole slaw rather than sourkraut. Traditionally, both sandwiches were made with corned beef, but that has been modified by using other meats, such as turkey. But the form of cabbage is the distinguishing factor.
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.
Reubens traditionally rely on rye bread, which is dense and can soak up any extra juices — so don't swap it for another variety if you can manage. To further fight sogginess, toast the rye bread so that it holds up to the sauerkraut's texture along with ingredients like the sauce and melted cheese.
You could also opt for pastrami in place of the corned beef, which isn't the traditional meat in a Reuben, but it still tastes damned good. Typically at delis, the meat will be steamed whole, then carved by hand while it's still hot.
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.
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.
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.
Marbled rye bread filled with freshly sliced corned beef, melty Swiss Cheese, tangy sauerkraut and creamy Thousand Island dressing. This is a Reuben sandwich inspired by the New York standard.
Pastrami is made from beef brisket that has been cured, coated in spices, cold smoked and then steamed. Pastrami's thick coat of spices typically includes crushed black pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, garlic and other spices that might be included in a pickling spice mixture.
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.
The ingredient that differentiates Russian dressing from Thousand Island is—drumroll, please—horseradish. When you have Russian dressing accenting a hearty sandwich like a Reuben, the horseradish can be hard to detect, especially when you've got the sharp, funky flavors of sauerkraut to contend with.
According to Regina Sexton, food and culinary historian and programme manager, Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture, University College Cork, corned beef and cabbage is not a dish much known in Ireland. What the Irish actually eat is bacon and cabbage. "A traditional dinner is bacon, potatoes, and cabbage.
Spread one side of each slice with Thousand Island dressing, then add a layer of corned beef, Swiss cheese, and a handful of thinly sliced pickles. Place the sandwich in a preheated skillet or griddle and cook until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown. Serve hot.
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".
Both the Reuben and Rachel are made with Rye bread, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing. However, the Reuben uses corned beef and sauerkraut while the Rachel uses turkey and coleslaw. In addition, the Rachel is often made with Thousand Island dressing instead of Russian dressing.
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