Smoked Turkey Reubens

Serves 4

by Tony Rosenfeld
from Fine Cooking
Issue 97
Last Edit Date: 6/27/2011 9:34:20 AM

In this update on the classic, smoked turkey stands in for corned beef, while a fresh slaw and sun-dried tomato mayo take the place of sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

more about:

2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 4 oz.)
3/4 cup julienned kosher dill pickle (from 1 large)
2 tsp. cider vinegar
Kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbs. ketchup
8 slices whole wheat bread
12 thin slices smoked turkey
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage and pickles with the vinegar and 1/2 tsp. salt. Transfer to a colander, set it in the sink, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse the mayonnaise, sun-dried tomatoes, and ketchup in a food processor until the tomatoes are finely chopped.

Squeeze the cabbage mixture to remove any excess liquid and return to the bowl. Toss the cabbage with 2 Tbs. of the mayonnaise.

Spread the remaining mayonnaise on one side of each slice of the bread. Assemble the sandwiches, layering the turkey, cabbage, and cheese over 4 slices of the bread and topping with the other 4 slices. Spread the outsides of the sandwiches with the butter.

Heat a large grill pan, skillet, or stovetop griddle over medium-low heat. Working in batches if necessary, put the sandwiches in the pan, top with a grill press or heavy skillet to weigh them down, and cook until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until browned and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes more. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Make it a soup and sandwich night. Serve with Butternut Squash Soup with Apple & Bacon.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 660; Fat (g): 46; Fat Calories (kcal): 420; Saturated Fat (g): 17; Protein (g): 30; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 12; Carbohydrates (g): 33; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 13; Sodium (mg): 1370; Cholesterol (mg): 90; Fiber (g): 5;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by joannalynn60, 1/26/2012Excellent! Used marble rye bread and chopped tomatoes as suggested. Both worked out great. I used bread and butter pickles since they were on hand. They were great, but will try dill next time. Also used Whole Foods organic ketchup, which is a little zestier than most.

by ab7344875, 1/24/2011Delicious, though messy. The only whole-wheat bread I had on hand was sourdough--making the finished sandwiches a little too sour, but they were delicious anyway. Maybe because I was cutting the recipe in half, the food processor wouldn't chop the tomatoes easily. I had to scrape them down between each pulse. Next time, I'll chop the tomatoes by hand. Lacking a grill pan, I used a cast-iron skillet and topped the sandwiches with another iron skillet to weigh them down. The top skillet got butter on its bottom, which I transferred to an adjacent burner when I set the top skillet aside to check the undersides of the sandwiches. They were slow to brown. Next time, I'll heat the skillet to medium heat. My husband usually won't eat turkey, but he loved this sandwich.

by whoadammitranch, 10/23/2009This sandwich has, at least temporarily, pushed out pizza for our traditional Friday night dinner. It is delicious and I will never eat a "standard" Rueben again. It is so fresh. I cut up the sundried tomato by hand and just mix it in a small bowl with the mayo/ketchup mixture. I don't have panini press but the sandwiches cook great with a piece of foil over them and a heavy skillet on top. Yum!

by tlamo, 2/26/2009These sandwiches are incredibly delicious. I halved the recipe, and cooked them in a panini press. The texture of the cabbage is wonderful, and the flavour of the sun dried tomato mayo is great. It may be a little more work than making a plain grilled cheese sandwich, but it is well worth it. I will certainly make those again!