These Gluten Free Reuben Sandwich Dippers are my twist on the classic Reuben sandwich. Made with gluten free rye-style bread, pastrami, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, mustard and served with Thousand Island to dip. The perfect appetizer to share or hearty lunch!

This post is sponsored by Canyon Bakehouse. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

The summer after I graduated high school I got a job at Jason’s Deli. I really enjoyed working there, and even more than that I enjoyed the free lunch I got every shift.

Over the summer I got pretty familiar with the menu. I got to try a lot of new things. It was before I had to eat gluten free, so I ate all of the bread and it was glorious!

Before working at Jason’s Deli I had never heard of a Reuben sandwich, and I don’t think I had actually had rye bread (or pastrami or sauerkraut for that matter.) Ordering a Reuben was completely new for me, but I fell in love and it became one of my favorites!

It was a simple sandwich. Rye bread, a mountain of pastrami and sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing served hot and toasty. Even though almost all of the ingredients were completely new to me I loved the buttery pastrami, the caraway studded bread, gooey swiss cheese, and the brightness that the acidity of the sauerkraut brought to the rich and filling grilled sandwich.

Rye bread can be a tricky matter for us celiac, gluten-free-eating folk. When I saw that Canyon Bakehouse had a Gluten Free Deli Rye-Style bread I knew exactly what I was going to do with it! I just had to put my own spin on one of my favorite sandwiches from my deli-working days. And that is how these gluten free Reuben sandwich dippers were born.

Canyon Bakehouse’s Gluten Free Deli Rye-Style Bread is soft (just like the rest of the bread) and I love the crust when it is toasted. I think it tastes just like rye bread, but without the rye.

I love making grilled cheese sandwiches and cutting them into the perfect dunk-able strips. So that is what I did! These gluten free Reuben sandwich dippers make a fun appetizer to share, or one of my favorite lunches.

I layered some good thick-sliced pastrami, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese between some nice soft slices of gluten free deli rye-style bread spread with just a little yellow mustard. Then I spread the outside slices with just a little mayo and grilled them in my cast-iron skillet. When my sandwich was golden brown I cut it into strips and then served them with Thousand Island dressing to dip.

If Thousand Island dressing isn’t your thing, serve your gluten free Reuben sandwich dippers with your favorite tomato soup for the ultimate grilled cheese lunch.

Whenever I journey back to Jason’s Deli now, the Reuben is still one of my favorite sandwiches to order (even though they don’t have gluten-free rye-style bread, they should get on that!) There is definitely some nostalgia there. But now I don’t have to drive to the nearest deli to get my gluten free Reuben sandwich fix!

6 dippers (serves 2)

Gluten Free Reuben Sandwich Dippers with Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

Name: Gluten Free Reuben Sandwich Dippers with Thousand Island Dipping Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6 dippers (serves 2)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 slices Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Deli Rye-Style Bread; 2 thick slices pastrami (or corned beef if you prefer) *; 4 slices swiss cheese; 1/4 cup drained sauerkraut **; yellow mustard; mayonnaise; Thousand Island dressing to dip

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Deli Rye-Style Bread
2 thick slices pastrami (or corned beef if you prefer) *
4 slices swiss cheese
1/4 cup drained sauerkraut **
yellow mustard
mayonnaise
Thousand Island dressing to dip

Instructions

Make the sandwiches by spreading the inside of each slice of Gluten Free Deli Rye-Style Bread with a little mustard.
On the bottom slice layer a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of pastrami, half of the sauerkraut, and another slice of Swiss cheese. Top it off with the other slice of bread. Repeat to make another sandwich.
Spread the top of each sandwich with a little mayo and then grill it in a hot pan (I used my cast-iron skillet.) Once the mayo-spread side is down in the pan, spread the other side of the sandwich with a little mayo so that both sides will be golden brown. I also covered my skillet with a lid to help the cheese to melt and the sandwich to be heated thoroughly.
Once that side is golden brown, flip it over and grill until the second side is golden brown too.
Remove from the pan and cut the sandwich into 3 dipping strips. Repeat with the second sandwich.
Serve with Thousand Island dressing.

Notes

*double check that your pastrami or corned beef is gluten free. Some meats have gluten-containing ingredients as fillers.
** thoroughly drain your sauerkraut and make sure you squeeze out ALL of the extra liquid so that your gluten free Reuben sandwich dippers aren't soggy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

3 gluten free dippers (or 1 gluten free sandwich)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 598 Total Fat: 43g Saturated Fat: 17g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 22g Cholesterol: 127mg Sodium: 1519mg Carbohydrates: 19g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 5g Protein: 32g

All nutrition info is a guestimate and will vary depending on the ingredients you use.