This Turkey Reuben sandwich, also known as a “Rachel” is a great way to lighten up the traditional Reuben sandwich made with pastrami. Filled with delicious turkey, cheese, and our special broccoli slaw makes this a really good lunch for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the week!
Move over Reuben, Rachel's in town and she's claiming her spot at the bar witha pint of Guinness!
That's right, a little “girl power” is taking over the traditional Irish sandwichmade withcorned beef and replacing it with turkey!
The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day will soon be here. You know, the holiday where everyone deems themselves Irish.
Both home and pub will be cranking out the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage to serve hungry leprechauns.
This holiday dish creates my all-time favorite leftovers and I use them to make these juicy, delicious sandwiches!
As much asI love the tried and true Reuben sandwich, I'm slowly becoming a Rachel fan and I'm sure you will too once you make this version. I like to eat this tasty sandwich with a nice bowl of soup or a crisp green salad.
Place 1 slice of bread in the pan buttered side down.
Next, place one slice of Swiss cheese on bread and about 2 Tbsp. of broccoli slaw mixture, and Thousand Island dressing.
Place turkey (or chicken) on top of the dressing and press slightly. Add a slice of Swiss cheese and top with the second slice of bread, making sure the butter side is up!
Cook in a heated frying pan for 2 minutes and with a flat spatula, carefully flip over and press down with a spatula.
Cook about 2-3 minutes or until bread is toasted.
FAQ's
What's the difference between a Reuben and a Rachel sandwich?
Reuben's are made with corned beef or pastrami with sauerkraut and Rachel's are made with turkey and coleslaw.
What's on a turkey Reuben?
All the good stuff! Turkey, cheese, dressing, and coleslaw! Grilled to perfection and ready to enjoy for lunch or dinner.
If you enjoy making this St. Paddy's day dish, please let me know in the comments! I love chatting with you over good food! You can also follow me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM.
Yield: 1
This Turkey Reuben sandwich, also known as a "Rachel" is a great way to lighten up the traditional Reuben. Filled with delicious turkey, cheese, and our special broccoli slaw makes this a really good lunch for St. Patrick's Day!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Ingredients
1 roasted turkey breast, or you could roast chicken breasts or grab a rotisserie from the market
1 loaf of Rye Bread, plain or marbled-your preference
1 pkg. sliced Swiss cheese
1 pkg, 12 oz. of Broccoli Slaw (or if you want true Reuben flavor, sauerkraut)
1 Tbsp. Thousand Island dressing, per sandwich
1-2 Tbsp. Cole Slaw dressing, I used Marzetti brand Simply Dressed & Light
1-2 tsp. butter or margarine
Instructions
Broccoli Slaw:
Mix 1-2 Tbsp. Cole slaw dressing into 2 cups of broccoli slaw mixture.
Set aside to let flavors set.
Reuben:
Shred 2 cups roasted turkey or chicken and set aside.
Butter 2 slices of bread on one side only.
Heat frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
Place 1 slice of bread in pan buttered side down. Place one slice of Swiss cheese on bread. Add about 2 Tbsp. of slaw mixture, add Thousand Island dressing.
Place turkey (or chicken) on top of dressing and press slightly. Add slice of Swiss cheese and top with second slice of bread, making sure butter side up.
Cook about 2 minutes and with flat spatula, carefully flip over and press down with spatula.
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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.
Cheese: Swiss, provolone, and cheddar cheeses all pair well with turkey. Buy slices directly from the deli counter, or slice off the block with a cheese slicer. Lettuce: Green leaf or romaine lettuce adds much needed crunch. Remove the thick rib from romaine lettuce to make it easier to build the sandwich.
Benefits: In both cases, hard white cheeses (like Swiss) tend to be lower in fat and sodium. This version has less than half the fat, cholesterol and sodium of the Reuben. Risks: So delicious you might have to eat more than one.
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 staple in delicatessens throughout the country, a typical Reuben includes pastrami and vinegar-y sauerkraut on some rye bread. We knew that we could do better, and decided to experiment one weekend with our menu. This Texas Reuben features our own lean smoked brisket thrown over some buttered and griddled rye bread.
Your choice of pastrami, corned beef or turkey breast with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and homemade Russian dressing, all on grilled rye bread... Order Online.
In some cases, this rule works for melts, which is what a Reuben technically is. But with the Reuben, I prefer to revert to single-side toasting, because I like the inner surfaces of the bread in a Reuben to be slightly steamed and tender, the whole thing partially fusing together.
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.
Tempeh, seitan, vegetables and mushrooms have stood in for the corned beef, but they're not really needed, because outsize quantities of the other traditional elements make a punchy, gooey sandwich on their own. Both sides of the buttered rye get melted Swiss.
I use a whole wheat hoagie roll here, which holds its shape well and supports the extreme stacking of ingredients. You could use regular sandwich bread, but I can't guarantee the proportions would taste just right or that the bread wouldn't squish under the weight of the filling.
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.
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.
A Rachel, it seemed, could exist on a spectrum of Reubenness, ranging from “pastrami Reuben” to “turkey sandwich with coleslaw that is not very Reuben-like at all.” Beside the variance in meat and in the cabbage preparation used, it could also conceivably be made with various different breads, Russian dressing or ...
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".
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