A tasty twist on the classic Reuben Sandwich recipe.The perfect lunch or quick dinner recipe!

Ruuuuuuuebeeeeen!! (Now re-read that in Tom Hanks voice as he calls out for Wilson in Castaway). That’s how I would feel too if this sandwich were floating away in the ocean forever. Except that it wouldn’t float, it would get soggy and sink and….ehhh you get my point.
I used to hate Ruebans…..let’s be honest I used to hate just about everything other than plain turkey sandwiches and lasagna. But Rueban sandwiches were particularly offensive because of the piles of sauerkraut and my biggest beef with this sandwich: Rye bread. Still to this day I have very few Rye bread that I particularly care for so I have for the most part also steered clear of the Rueben.
Kevin on the other hand routinely orders, devours and critiques them so you should know this was made by a true Ruben connoisseur. When he made these up the other day with the crusty sourdough we had in the house….oh man. So good. Toasted buttery sourdough bread. Pepper pastrami cooked in butter. Swiss cheese getting its melty goodness on. Piles of tangy sauerkraut. Thousand Island dressing, ground mustard, and crunchy dill pickles.

Hellooo Rueben, where have you been all my life?
Now to be fair this isn’t technically a true Rueben for you food geek historians out there. Traditionally the Rueben sandwich recipe is made with corned beef and not pastrami, as well as using a hearty rye bread cut on the bias. Bias….AKA they cut the loaf the wrong direction to make the biggest man sandwich you could imagine on that dark rye bread.
So…..you do what you think is right in regards to your bread choices. And I’ll keep stocking up on pastrami and sourdough every time I head to the grocery store. And stealing adventure bites of Kevin’s rye Rueben’s in an effort to convince my taste buds that this really is a good idea.

Also….we’ve finally somewhat gotten settled here so be on the lookout here for some homemade sauerkraut and sourdough bread in the coming weeks. Yum.
Sourdough Reuben Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices Sourdough Bread
- 2 slices Swiss Cheese
- 3-4 oz pastrami
- Butter
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Sauerkraut drained
- Ground Mustard
- Pickles
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Warm the pastrami and sauerkraut in saute pans with some butter until hot and fragrant (use 2 separate pans).
3. Butter the outside of both slices of bread. Add Thousand Island to both sides and mustard to one side.
4. Pile the pastrami, swiss and sauerkraut onto the bread.
5. Toast in the oven until both sides are crispy and golden. You may need to flip in order to achieve this. Add pickles if desired or serve with pickles on the side.
Why haven’t I tried a Reuben with sourdough before, i definitely prefer it this way! I’m making myself one for lunch tomorrow as well, thanks so much for sharing!
Oh, yum. My mouth is watering. Where’s a napkin?
Why there is one right here for you 😉 and a sandwich!