A Deliciously Tasty Reuben Soup Recipe
With the Reuben sandwich being a classic everywhere, why not turn this favorite into a tasty Reuben soup recipe? This soup allows you to enjoy your favorite deli sandwich when you are craving soup but want to have all your favorite flavors combined. This soup is ideal for cooler weather but also great for spreading that Reuben love more affordably through a soup feeding a large number of people.
What Makes a Reuben Special?
This American classic sandwich dates back to the 1900s and became a deli classic on the streets of New York and other large cities in the eastern US. The classic Reuben deli sandwich consists of corned beef, Swiss Cheese, fresh sauerkraut, and Russian dressing all on fresh marbled Rye bread. These flavors molded together make a delicacy that has stayed pretty traditional until mashing it up in a soup to elevate the flavors.
Gather Your Ingredients
You will need the classics in order for the Reuben soup to be complete and embellish all the necessary flavors. There are some additional ingredients that you can probably find lying around your pantry, as well.
- One pound of sliced corned beef
- Two cups of Swiss cheese, shredded
- One diced sweet onion
- One tablespoon of horseradish
- A half cup of Thousand Island or Russian dressing
- One can of rinsed sauerkraut (or two if you want more of that flavor)
- One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- Two cups of heavy cream
- Three cups of chicken or beef broth
- One chopped celery stalk
- One chopped carrot
- One teaspoon of minced garlic
- A quarter cup of all-purpose flour
- Half a loaf of sliced rye bread for toasting
- Optional: Half a pound of diced Yukon gold potatoes
Depending on how starchy you want to make this meal, you can add potatoes or even noodles to this soup to make it heartier. If you are trying to keep it low carb, then you can avoid adding either of the two and it will keep the soup less dense. You can also double your meat to boost your protein level so that you feel fuller but have less carbs.
If you want to omit the veggies like the carrot and celery, you can. These ingredients are meant to help with boosting the nutritional flavor and adding a level of texture to the soup. They can be removed, especially if you are deciding to go with potatoes in your soup.
While you want fresh corned beef for the deli for this soup, that may not be as easy to come by as the rest of the ingredients. You could sub out canned corned beef, but the salt levels will be astronomically high. You could do sliced kielbasa instead and it would give the same flavor palette.
Start Building Your Soup
Once you have gathered your ingredients for the Reuben soup, it is time to start building the base and adding in the ingredients in different stages.
1. Clean and Prepare the Veggies
First things first, you need to make sure that your veggies are ready to go into the soup. Wash them under cold water, removing any excess dirt or debris. Dice up your onion, celery, and carrots. If you opted for potatoes, also, this is the time to wash them, and then cut them up.
2. Start to Saute
Grab your large soup pot and turn your burner to a medium heat. You will need to add in your butter first and then the garlic and onions. Once the onions start to sweat, toss in your flour and give them a good mix. You want the onions to get coated really well in this step.
3. Add in the Veggies
Once the onions are coated, it is time to bring in the rest of the veggies, including the carrot, celery and potatoes. You want to give them a chance to cook a little bit and have an opportunity to saute for about a minute.
4. Add the Liquids
After a minute of pushing the veggies around the bottom of the pot, it is time to add the heavy cream and the broth to your soup base. Before adding anything else to the soup, you want to bring this liquid base to a boil. It should take about four or five minutes to get the soup boiling after adjusting the temperature on the burner to a medium high heat.
5. Bring it all Together
Once the soup starts boiling, turn the burner down to a simmer and then add in the remaining ingredients. Your sauces, seasonings, sauerkraut, cheese and corned beef are all added at this step. Give it a good stir and then cover the soup for the next 20 minutes.
6. Make Rye Croutons
Turn your oven on to 350 degrees and grab your Rye bread. Cut your bread into small squares and lay them out on a baking sheet. Once they are all cut out, toss them in the oven for about seven minutes so that they harden and make delicious croutons to add to your soup. Once they cool after coming out of the oven, set them over in a bowl and make them available for your diners to enjoy when the soup is ready.
6. Serve and Store
Once your soup has finished simmering for 20 minutes, give it a stir and you can serve it to your guests. Your veggies should be tender enough to enjoy. Start ladling your soup into bowls and offer your guests some croutons to add to the top of the soup.
Should you have any leftovers of this soup, feel free to let it cool completely and then add to your fridge in a sealed container. You can let it sit for up to four days in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove as you desire. If you are not planning to eat the sour leftovers right away, you can store them in a freezer safe bag for up to two months.
