Rachel sandwich with seitan chicken & coleslaw

Few things make me happier than a good reuben sandwich.

Whether it’s made with corned jackfruit, corned “beef” seitan, or plopped into a nourish bowl, it’s a melding of flavors that takes me to my happy place every time.

If you’re similarly enthralled with a reuben sandwich, you’re going to love this veganized variation of a Rachel sandwich!

In this post:

A Rachel sandwich is a cousin to the reuben.

It’s also known as a California or Georgia reuben.

While a traditional reuben sandwich uses pastrami & sauerkraut, a Rachel is typically made with turkey and coleslaw.

It’s then toasted on rye bread with melty Swiss cheese & Thousand Island dressing.

Since this is a vegan version of a Rachel sandwich, I make a few substitutions.

Instead of turkey, I use thin slices of homemade seitan chicken.

It’s seasoned with basil, oregano, onion powder, and garlic. It has a wonderful toothsome texture.

For the coleslaw, I use my favorite vegan coleslaw recipe.

It’s really quick & easy to make thanks to the shortcut of pre-shredded cabbage mix. It includes both purple and green cabbage as well as carrots.

For the dressing, I make a simple Thousand Island with eggless mayo, ketchup, diced pickles, and lemon juice.

If you’d rather use store-bought, that works too!

(This recipe makes more vegan Thousand Island than you’ll need for one sandwich. Use any leftovers on a vegan cheeseburger pizza or jackfruit reuben!)

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Combine all of the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Then butter two slices of bread on one side with non-dairy butter.

Put the slices into a skillet butter side down on a medium heat.

Add a sprinkling of non-dairy cheese to both pieces of bread.

(I use vegan mozzarella, but any meltable non-dairy cheese will work!)

On one of the bread slices, add sliced seitan chicken, a generous helping of coleslaw, and vegan Thousand Island dressing.

Add the top piece of bread to the sandwich.

Flip the sandwich to make sure it’s evenly toasted on both sides.

Then remove it from the pan & cut it on a diagonal.

It’s easy to make this sandwich your own by simplifying or changing the ingredients.

• Instead of seitan chicken, use store-bought vegan deli slices. Tofurky hickory smoked deli slices would go well here.
• If you’re making this sandwich around the fall or winter holidays, use leftovers from a vegan holiday roast like a re-vamp of a leftovers sandwich.
• Use sauerkraut instead of coleslaw.
• Use store-bought vegan Thousand Island dressing instead of making your own.
• Use any shredded non-dairy cheese you like or replace it with sliced avocado.
• Add sautéed onions, bell peppers, or pickled jalapeños for more vegetable goodness.
• Instead of rye bread, use whole wheat, have it as a wrap in a tortilla, or on a toasted baguette.

A Rachel sandwich is so filling, it’s basically a full meal on its own.

But you can round it out with any of these tasty side dishes:

• Baked fries or vegan poutine
• Fried pickles or fried zucchini
• Vegan pasta salad
• Air fryer kale chips (or oven baked)
• Spinach salad with strawberries