Rachel Sandwich (Turkey Reuben)
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If you enjoy a classic Reuben, you’re really going to love the Rachel Sandwich! This delicious twist swaps corned beef for juicy sliced turkey, then piles it high with coleslaw, melty Swiss cheese, and plenty of Thousand Island dressing. Toasted on rye bread until golden and gooey, this turkey Reuben is the kind of easy, flavor-packed recipe that turns an ordinary lunch into something crave-worthy. Perfect for using up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!
Turns out, everyone likes pastrami as much as I do, because my pastrami sandwich is one of the top recipes on the blog! For this reason, I decided to make a turkey pastrami recipe, mainly so I could make the best Rachel sandwich at home.
While you can use any kind of turkey to make this version of a turkey reuben sandwich, I do love the extra peppery flavor that the turkey pastrami adds to the sandwich. If you’re tired of the same ol’ cold, boring turkey sandwich, then let’s make a Rachel sandwich, because it’s anything but boring!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Rachel sandwich recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Turkey – this can be sliced turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving, or you can purchase sliced turkey from the deli counter at the grocery store.
- Rye bread – marble rye, dark rye, and Jewish rye bread are all great options for this sandwich.
- Butter
- Thousand Island dressing – you can also use Russian dressing. The two are very similar and start with a ketchup and mayonnaise base, but in traditional Russian dressing, you’ll also find horseradish and Worcestershire sauce, whereas in a classic Thousand Island dressing, you’ll find a chopped up hard boiled egg.
- Swiss cheese – you’ll need thin slices of Swiss cheese to melt over the turkey in the sandwich.
- Coleslaw – a traditional Rachel sandwich uses coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. If you prefer, you can use sauerkraut, just be sure to press out any extra liquid before adding it to the sandwich. This is one of my secrets to make the best traditional Reuben sandwich. If you’re using coleslaw, you’ll want to mix 1 cup of coleslaw mix with 1 tablespoon coleslaw dressing. This will lightly dress the coleslaw so it’s flavorful, but doesn’t make the sandwich soggy.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Heat up the turkey. Heat a large skillet, or griddle pan. This can be the same pan that you plan to use to cook the sandwiches. Heat the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the slices of turkey and cook for 30-60 seconds per side, or until it’s heated up. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside. Note: if you’re using thinly sliced deli turkey, you don’t need to heat up the turkey first.
- Butter the bread. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
- Add the dressing. Flip the bread over and spread Thousand Island dressing on the second side of each slice of bread.
- Add the cheese, coleslaw, and turkey. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the Thousand Island dressing on each slice of bread. Add sliced turkey and coleslaw on top of half of the bread slices, topped with dressing and cheese. Sandwich the other half of the bread slices topped with dressing and cheese over the sauerkraut.
- Cook the sandwiches. In the same skillet that you heated up the turkey, wipe away any turkey bits, then heat it up on the stove over medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the skillet, or griddle, and grill for 3-4 minutes, flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from the skillet and serve immediately.
What to serve with it
This turkey reuben sandwich recipe is delicious on it’s own, or served with a simple side of potato chips. You can also step up your side dish game and serve the sandwich with any of these delicious side dish recipes.
- Potatoes: Animal Style Fries, Truffle Fries, or Smashed Potatoes
- Air Fryer Favorites: Air Fryer Onion Rings, Air Fryer French Fries, or Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Salad: Potato Salad, Pickle Pasta Salad, Cucumber Salad
To make a tasty soup and sandwich combo, pair the sandwich with roasted tomato soup or broccoli cheddar soup.
More sandwich recipes
If you love a tasty sandwich, with layers of flavor, be sure to check out these other delicious and easy sandwich recipes!
Turkey Reuben Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 pound roasted or deli turkey, sliced
- 1 cup coleslaw mix
- 1 tablespoon coleslaw dressing
- 8 slices rye bread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup thousand island dressing, or Russian dressing
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet, or griddle pan, on the stove over medium-high heat. This can be the same pan that you plan to use to cook the sandwiches. Add the turkey and cook for 30-60 seconds per side, or until it’s heated up. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
- Toss the coleslaw and coleslaw dressing together in a bowl.
- Spread one side of each piece of bread with butter and the other side with thousand island dressing.
- Place a piece of cheese on top of the thousand island dressing on each piece of bread.
- Add sliced turkey and coleslaw on top of half of the bread slices, topped with dressing and cheese. Sandwich the other half of the bread slices topped with dressing and cheese over the coleslaw.
- In the same skillet that you heated up the turkey, wipe it clean, then heat it up on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the sandwiches to the skillet, or griddle, and grill for 3-4 minutes, flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- I use ¼ pound turkey on each sandwich. If you’d like to make a New York style “sky high” sandwich with a very generous portion of meat, you’ll want to use ½ pound of turkey per sandwich.
- If using thin deli-sliced turkey, you don’t need to heat it up before making the sandwiches.
Nutrition Facts
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