Rachel Sandwich with Turkey
A Rachel sandwich with turkey is my favorite hot sandwich! It’s salty and savory with bold flavors that were just made for each other.
So what is a Rachel sandwich? It’s similar to the classic Reuben sandwich (corned beef, swiss cheese, saurkraut and Russian dressing on rye bread), but with a twist. If you do a quick Google search, you will see that many versions use Russian dressing and some use coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. I’ve even seen some recipes that use pastrami instead of turkey. I make mine the way my favorite sandwich shop makes them–with mayo, mustard, turkey and sauerkraut. So to answer the question– to me, a Rachel sandwich is a grilled sandwich on rye bread with sliced turkey deli meat, mayo, mustard, pickles, sauerkraut and swiss or provolone cheese. You might say it’s the slightly healthier sister sandwich to the Reuben!
Ingredients
Rachel sandwich with turkey
- Jewish rye bread
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard
- Sauerkraut
- Provolone or Swiss cheese
- Sliced pickles
- Turkey deli meat
How to make a Rachel sandwich with turkey
Step 1
Set up your sandwich-making station. Get out an electric griddle, large cast-iron skillet or large non-stick pan. You will also want to get out the sandwich ingredients and have them handy for assembling.
Step 2
Assemble the sandwiches. I do mayo on one slice, mustard on the other. I start with cheese and end with turkey. If you like things extra cheesy, you could start and end with cheese. I just don’t recommend having pickles or sauerkraut touching the bread in order to prevent a soggy sandwich.
A little tip on the sauerkraut: it’s worth a little extra time to drain the sauerkraut of as much liquid as possible before adding to the sandwich. This keeps the bread from getting soggy. You can put it on paper towels and squeeze or even use a colander.
Step 3
Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add butter to the pan. If you only put cheese on one side, place the sandwich in the pan cheese-side down first. The pan should be pretty hot so that you hear a strong sizzle once the sandwich hits the pan. Reduce heat to medium after one minute to prevent over browning.
Grill until browned, then flip and grill the other side until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Step 4
Enjoy! And I really think you will. 🙂
Tried this Rachel sandwich recipe?
If you’ve tried making a Rachel sandwich with turkey, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment/rating below and let me know how you liked this recipe! You can also find me on instagram @thefigjar.
Looking for a cold sandwich?
Rachel Sandwich with Turkey
Salty, sour, savory, cheesey, freaking delicious sandwich! You will start planning your next sandwich as soon as you finish your first.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Jewish rye
- Mayo
- Yellow mustard
- Swiss or provolone cheese
- Sliced deli turkey meat
- Pickles
- Sauerkraut
- Butter
Instructions
- Set up a sandwich-making station. Get out a griddle or a large cast-iron skillet and sandwich ingredients.
- Heat a cast iron skillet/griddle over medium-high heat while you assemble the sandwiches.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Avoid having sauerkraut and pickles from touching the bread to keep it from getting soggy. See note about sauerkraut.
- Cook on both sides until toasted and cheese is melted. About 3-4 minutes per side.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- It’s not crucial but it is helpful to take the extra time to squeeze some excess liquid from the sauerkraut to prevent soggy bread. I just place the sauerkraut on paper towels and squeeze.
