Vegan Reuben Deli Sandwiches & Homemade Russian Dressing

So today’s post will be a quick-ish one but I just had to share another new find from Filgud…vegan pastrami!

I found this on the day I found the vegan caviar and as soon as I saw it, I made a beeline to the bread section to find some type Rye or Pumpernickel bread. I have very fond memories of this sandwich at real delis in Chicago and Boston and I couldn’t wait to recreate it and–cross my fingers–hope the pastrami had that delicious herb-y, pepper-y pastrami flavor.

I have to say that the Filgud vegan pastrami did not disappoint. It had the exact right flavor profile and my only complaint, if you can call it that, was that the strips were a little too thin. I ended up tearing a few strips which made for less pretty photo.

So, let’s get this sandwich party started!

There are basic ingredients to any Reuben and that’s pretty much what I used except for the cheese. I felt it was unnecessary in taste and calories so I skipped it, but feel free to add it if you want.

Ingredients:

Vegan pastrami
Rye bread
Sliced banana peppers
Russian/Thousand Island Dressing
Sauerkraut

That’s it, gather your ingredients and assemble your vegan deli sandwich.

Bread

I had a few issues with the bread, as you might have noticed. My husband was out on his motorcycle so I ate lunch without him and I, of course, used the dark bread which translates from Romanian to English as Rye but it tasted more like pumpernickel.

The bread was delicious, very tasty but it wasn’t sturdy enough for a sandwich. It’s a good thing I didn’t pile the vegan pastrami high like an authentic deli sandwich! I recommend using a dark break that has a bit more substance to it, the like Rye-Wheat mixture i used for his sandwiches.

Dressing

Making the vegan Russian dressing was easy. All you need is vegan yogurt-spicy mustard-ketchup-diced dill pickle-Sriracha or diced chili peppers.

Mix it all into a bowl and set aside.

Don’t Forget The Kraut!

Sauerkraut is one of the best parts of a Reuben sandwich and after testing out a dozen different types of sauerkraut during my years in Germany, I love it even more!

Sauerkraut can sometimes be very tangy so if you don’t like it, give it a rinse in some cold water and add apple cider or white wine vinegar so you get that tang without going overboard.

I’m not one to quibble over how you stack your vegan Reuben sandwich but I like it like this: Dressing on both slices of bread – Banana peppers on one side and sauerkraut on the other – Vegan pastrami stack on either side so it’s perfectly in the middle.

And then? It’s not a real vegan deli sandwich if you don’t wash it down with an ice cold dark beer.

Add some pickles or a quick salad on the side for a delicious and–mostly–healthy vegan lunch!