Reuben Bowls

I love a good Reuben, especially on St. Patrick’s Day. All that melty goodness combined with savory, tangy flavors, and topped with a sweet and zesty dressing equals perfection in my book. That said, I’m not eating as much bread these days, so I was looking for a different way to enjoy those same flavors.

Bowls are very popular right now. In fact, we have a few different recipes for them on our blog. With that thought in mind, I figured I could make a Reuben Bowl, which really is just a deconstructed Reuben sandwich. You get all the goodness without the bread. Although, you could add some slices of toasted bread to the bowl if you wish.

Prepare the Ingredients

This bowl comes together quickly if you do all the prep work in the beginning.

Start by using a 7-5/8″ Petite Chef to dice half of a white onion. If you prefer a yellow onion for sweetness, you can use that instead. I like the sharper bite of a white onion.

Next thinly slice some cabbage using a 9-3/4″ Slicer to get five cups of shredded cabbage.

Although it takes a little extra effort, I highly recommend using fresh cabbage rather than packaged. It tastes better and won’t be dry. For more guidance on how to slice and shred cabbage, watch our tutorial.

Using a Trimmer, cut half a pound of sliced corned beef into cubes.

This recipe is made to be easy, therefore we got our corned beef from the deli. When you order it, be sure you get it sliced thick, that way you will be able to cut the meat into cubes. This is important, because when it comes time to eat, you really want to get bites of the corned beef. Same with the pastrami.

Last dice one Honeycrisp apple using a 4″ Paring Knife.

I added the apple in this recipe because I found that the sweetness really helps balance some of the saltiness of the sauerkraut, corned beef and pastrami. I chose Honeycrisp because they stand up to being heated and I typically have them on hand. You could use a Granny Smith apple as well, just avoid using softer apples like McIntosh as you don’t want the bowl to be mushy.

Cook the Ingredients

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, toast the caraway seeds for around 30 seconds and then transfer them to a bowl. Return the same skillet to medium-high heat and heat the avocado oil.

When making this, I was asked why I didn’t use olive oil. Olive oil isn’t the best oil to use when you’re cooking at a higher heat since it has a lower smoke point, which means it can produce off-flavors. I had avocado oil on hand so that is what I used, but you could also use grapeseed oil – both oils work well when cooking with higher heat.

Add the onion and cook until it’s translucent, which takes about two to three minutes. Add the cabbage and carrot and season with salt and pepper. You won’t have to use too much salt and pepper in this recipe, so be mindful of that. The deli meats and Swiss cheese add natural salt flavor to the recipe.

Cook until the cabbage is tender but still has a bite, approximately five minutes.

Stir in the corned beef, pastrami, sauerkraut and apple, mixing until combined and warmed through. I used both corned beef and pastrami for more flavor and textures, although if you would rather, you can double up on either.

Top the cabbage mixture with the Swiss cheese, cover the skillet, and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the cheese is melted.

Assemble the Reuben Bowls

Once that Reuben mixture is ready, spoon it into four bowls. I topped each with caraway seeds, gherkins and pickled red onion, although you can personalize the toppings to your taste.

Drizzle with Thousand Island dressing. The dressing, along with all the other flavors in this bowl, really helps pull everything together.

Garnish with green onion and serve.

These Reuben Bowls really do taste like the sandwich, yes, even without the bread. They are easy to put together and are a fun recipe to try out on St. Patrick’s Day or any time of year when you get the craving. Enjoy!