Chicago Diner’s vegan reuben sandwich (Radical Reuben recipe)

Vegan reuben sandwich with peppers, onions, and Thousand Island on rye with potato chips.

5 from 3 votes

Chicago Diner’s vegan reuben sandwich (Radical Reuben recipe)

The Radical Reuben is our most popular dish. It took home the Vegetarian Times Magazine Readers' Choice Award for Best Recipe in the Midwest in June 2008 and was also featured on TLC's "Best Food Ever: Darn Good Diners" show. Basically, this sandwich rocks, and now you can make it right in your own kitchen!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Marinating time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: chicago diner, comfort food, vegan reuben

Servings: people

Calories: 654kcal

Author: Jo A. Kaucher

Ingredients

For the corned "beef" marinade:

1 cup pickle juice
¾ cup beet juice Juice from a jar of pickled beets works fine
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon caraway seed
½ teaspoon dried dill weed
¼ teaspoon fennel seed
Dash of dry ground mustard
Black pepper freshly ground, to taste
1 pound seitan

For the Thousand Island sauce:

¼ cup vegan mayonnaise Vegenaise
3 Tablespoons ketchup organic
2 Tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles

For the reubens:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or avocado oil
½ cup sliced yellow onion
¼ cup sliced red bell pepper
¼ cup sliced green bell pepper
1 ⅓ cups sauerkraut
8 slices marble rye bread
1 pound seitan corned "beef" See marinade recipe above
1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese Chicago Diner uses Daiya brand for this sandwich

Instructions

To make the marinade:

In a baking dish, combine pickle juice, beet juice, garlic powder, onion powder, caraway seed, dried dill weed, fennel seed, dry ground mustard, and black pepper.
Slice 1 pound of seitan thinly. Place it in the baking dish, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

To make the sauce:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, and finely chopped dill pickles. Set aside (or refrigerate until ready to use).

To make the reubens:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and peppers and sauté for 7 to 9 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Remove from the heat and transfer the onion and peppers to a medium covered bowl. Set aside.
Place the sauerkraut in the skillet and return it to the heat. Warm it in the skillet for 5 minutes, until it is warmed through.
Remove from the heat and transfer the sauerkraut to a medium bowl. Cover the bowl and set aside.
Place the seitan corned "beef" in the skillet and return it to the heat. Warm it in the skillet for 5 to 7 minutes, until it is warmed through and a little brown on the edges.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Toast the bread.*
Place 4 of the toasted bread slices on a serving platter. Divide the seitan corned "beef" evenly among the 4 slices.
Atop each pile of seitan corned "beef," layer ¼ of the sauerkraut, the pepper-onion mix, the vegan mozzarella cheese, and the Thousand Island sauce. Top each sandwich half with the remaining 4 slices of bread.
Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately.

Notes

Reprinted with permission from The New Chicago Diner Cookbook by Jo A. Kaucher, Agate Surrey December 2013.

Notes from Cadry:

Regarding the serving size: The cookbook says this recipe is for four people with ¼ pound of seitan per sandwich, a very generous amount. However, when I make the reubens, I use about half that, and it's still very filling. I would say it's enough seitan for 6 to 8 people.

Regarding the seitan: Before marinating, I like to start with a full loaf of my chicken seitan, or a half loaf of turkey seitan.

As a timesaver, you can replace the seitan with 3 packages (about one pound) of Tofurky plant-based deli slices or other vegan deli slices. It marinates and cooks up beautifully.

If you have a copy of The New Chicago Diner Cookbook, there's a recipe for Diner Seitan you can use as the base.

To save time, use more than one pan: If you want the cooking part of the recipe to go faster, you can use two or more pans when sauteing the peppers and onions, warming the sauerkraut, browning the seitan, and toasting the bread.

Melting the cheese: Although it's not called for in the recipe, I prefer to melt the cheese on my sandwich. To do this, lightly butter one side of the bread slices with non-dairy butter, and toast in a skillet butter side down. (Or simply place the bread in an oiled skillet.)

Then add the vegan cheese directly onto the bread, and/or add it to the toppings once the sandwiches are mostly compiled. Lower the heat, and cover with a lid until melted.

About the sodium amount listed: The sodium amount listed below looks incredibly high, because all of the pickle juice in the marinade is included in the nutrition info. However, most of the marinade is left behind and drained off, and won't actually be absorbed into the seitan.

Storage tips: Store the sandwich components separately in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Most of the sandwich elements also freeze well, but do not freeze the dressing. See the blog post for more information.

Nutrition