Oh boy, I hope the Purists don't get after me on this one, but today I cooked a Reuben Sandwich in my air fryer. I have to say I really love making grilled sandwiches in my air fryer.
The bread ends up lovely and crispy, not a soggy piece of bread in sight. Buttery, crisp and generously filled, this was a delicious sandwich to sink my teeth into! I highly recommend it!
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I thought I would share a little bit of history with you this morning about where the Reuben Sandwich got its beginnings, but wow, what a can of worms, with no less than two or three places claiming to have invented it! I don't want to touch that with a ten-foot pole.
Suffice it to say, it is a delicious sandwich, consisting of rye bread spread with thousand island dressing, and layered with plenty of corned beef/pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.
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The first Reuben Sandwich I ever tasted was when I was a very young woman and had moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. I fell in love at first bite. What's not to love about a hot sandwich piled high with smoked/corned meat, cheese and sauerkraut!
I have also been lucky enough to enjoy this iconic sandwich in Montreal and in Toronto. My ex-sister-in-law was married to a Jewish man and lived in the Jewish part of Toronto, off Avenue Road. Oh boy, she used to get the best bagels at Gryfe's bakery.
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She would bring them home in big paper bags. Two or three dozen of them. All nice and still warm from the oven. They were the best bagels I have ever eaten and have ruined me from ever enjoying another bagel quite the same.
We enjoyed them with smoked salmon and cream cheese and were in bagel heaven.
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There is no place where I live now to get a good Bagel, or even a good Reuben sandwich. Even the rye bread is suspect, lol
But I did try to make one as best as I could with what was available, and it really was delicious.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH
You do need a few specialized ingredients. Buy the best that you can of these, and you won't be disappointed.
- 2 slices rye bread
- softened butter to spread on the outside
- 1 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced corned beef or pastrami
- 3 ounces (85g) sauerkraut rinsed and drained well (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 thin slices of Swiss cheese
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I used Chris Brother's Pastrami to make my sandwich. He makes pretty good Deli meats here in the Maritime provinces. I made my own thousand island dressing from scratch.
It is very easily done. With a bit of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. You can find some really good recipes online. I used this one here.
I used PC Swiss Cheese. You could get by with only one slice, but I thought two gave much better coverage. Also, buy the best sauerkraut that you can buy and make sure it is really drained well.
HOW TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH
Nothing really could be easier. I have a Kuraidori Air Fryer that I purchased at my local Home Hardware.
Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of rye bread. Flip over and spread half of the thousand island dressing on each slice.
Top one slice of bread with the corned beef. Top that with the sauerkraut and then the cheese slices. Place the other slice of bread on top, dressing side down, butter side up.
Place into the basket of your air fryer. Place the basket in the air fryer.
Air fry for 4 minutes at 390*F/198*C. Carefully flip over and continue to air fry at 390*F/198*C for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Cut in half on the diagonal to serve.
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This was really delicious. Not quite on par with a true Reuben that you might get in a restaurant, but something which I really enjoyed, nevertheless.
If I make it again and I probably will, I may add a bit more Thousand Island dressing, but over-all it was really tasty. I loved the crisp and buttery toasted bread and there was just enough filling without going over the top.
The flavors might also be enhanced by warming up the meat and the sauerkraut first as well. I adapted this recipe from one that I found on Fork to Spoon for The Best Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich. The original recipe made four servings.
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Some other Diner Style sandwich recipes on here that you might also enjoy are:
BAKED WESTERN SANDWICH - With oven hash. The egg, ham and vegetable filling for these delicious sandwiches bakes on one small, rimmed oven tray, ready to be cut and tucked between slices of hot buttered toast and served alongside of crisp edged oven roasted potatoes and onions. Delicious!
THE ULTRA TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH - Another hefty diner favorite with three slices of toasted bread, plenty of sliced turkey, lettuce, mayo, crisp streaky bacon, ripe juicy tomato and real cheddar cheese. One sandwich serves two people amply. If you know you are only going to be eating half a sandwich you can afford to fill this tasty sandwich generously!
CLASSIC TUNA SALAD - Lunch doesn't get much better than this old classic. What you have here is a delicious tuna salad filling made with beautiful albacore white tuna, mayonnaise, chopped celery, minced onion, lemon juice and seasoning on soft buttered white bread. This is the sandwich of my childhood. Delicious and comforting.
Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich
Yield: 1
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min
The amounts given are for one delicious sandwich. You can multiply to make as many sandwiches as you want to make. Deliciously simple!
Ingredients
- 2 slices rye bread
- softened butter to spread on the outside
- 1 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced corned beef or pastrami
- 3 ounces (85g) sauerkraut rinsed and drained well (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 thin slices of swiss cheese
Instructions
- spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of rye bread. Flip over and spread half of the thousand island dressing on each slice.
- Top one slice of bread with the corned beef. Top that with the sauerkraut and then the cheese slices. Place the other slice of bread on top, dressing side down, butter side up.
- Place into the basket of your air fryer. Place the basket in the air fryer.
- Air fry for 4 minutes at 390*F/198*C. Carefully flip over and continue to air fry at 390*F/198*C for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Cut in half on the diagonal to serve.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
One thing that the British do really well is pies. Especially their meat pies. And no small wonder that, they have some of the best meat in the world, especially their beef. It was really good, and I miss it.
A lot of the beef comes from Scotland. Aberdeen Angus Beef is very well known. Its a sturdier brand of beef cattle that produces meat with a higher content of fat marbling which makes for very tender and delicious beef.
There is beef from other areas, but I really loved the Scottish Beef.
I loved visiting Scotland when I was living in the UK. We were there several times, the last time being in the Highlands. Such beautiful countryside. I could see why they called Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia. It must have reminded the Scottish settlers very much of home.
I could have easily lived there. I had wanted to go back for another holiday and see more, but sadly that did not happen. Although my son did buy me a piece of Land at a castle in Scotland and I can call myself a lady because of that. A bit of a gimmick but hey ho!
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I was wanting a steak pie at the weekend and thought I would make myself a Scottish Steak Pie. I adapted a recipe which I found on a page called Scottish Scran. It looked pretty good and used simple ingredients.
No haggis or sausages, etc. in this one, just plain old beef. I did not need a full-sized pie however, so I adapted it to a much smaller size which will feed 2 people generously, or 3 lighter eaters.
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As a homage to Scotland and to the Queen (who loved being in Scotland) I decorated it with a thistle on top. I was actually quite pleased with how the thistle turned out. I was channeling that scene in Braveheart where William Wallace gives a thistle to his girl.
I loved that film. I also love the Outlander series and I used to love reading romance novels which had Scottish Lairds as their love interests when I was younger. What can I say. I love a man in a kilt. Guilty as charged.
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Typically, this steak pie will be served in Scotland on New Year's Day, to help absorb all that alcohol from the Hogmanay celebrations I assume. I say serve it any time!! I can't think of any time a Steak Pie wouldn't go down well.
Especially when it is as easy and simple to make as this one, with its rich beef and gravy filling and crisp puff pastry lid! If something has puff pastry on top, I am all in!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SCOTTISH STEAK PIE FOR TWO
Simple ingredients that most of us always have in our larder, freezer or refrigerator!
For the filling:
- 12 ounces (3/4 pound/340g) stewing beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 TBS plain flour
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) good beef stock
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and black pepper to taste
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You will also need:
- 1/2 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 small free-range egg, beaten with a fork (for the wash)
I had a small round roast in the freezer that I thawed out and cut into cubes for this pie. It worked very well. You will want to use any kind of beef that is well suited to a long slow cook.
For beef stock I used some Campbells beef stock that comes in the carton.
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Some Scottish people do like to add sausages to their pie. I kept it simple and just used beef. Make sure you really brown it up nicely. This will not only add to the color of the gravy, but those caramelized juices also add plenty of flavor.
Worcestershire Sauce. Lea Perrins. I would not be without it in my kitchen. It is a kitchen essential ingredient. Pronounce that WOOSTER-SHER with a short "o" vowel sound not a long. It does not rhyme with Rooster which has a long "o."
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The original recipe called for tomato puree. I wasn't opening a tin of tomato puree for 1/2 TBS and so I used tomato ketchup which worked beautifully. Dijon mustard. This seemed to be a bit odd but then I remembered Mary Queen of Scots was brought up in France, so it kind of made sense.
Do use "all-butter" puff pastry. It has the nicest flavor and does not taste artificial at all. I highly recommend. You won't need a full sheet, but some of it can be used to make decorations for the top of the pie.
You can brush the remainder of it with some egg, sprinkle with a sharp cheese, cut into strips and vila. Quick and easy cheese straws.
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HOW TO MAKE A SCOTTISH STEAK PIE FOR TWO
Nothing could be easier. This is simple to make but it does take a while as the steak needs to cook long and slow so that it becomes fork tender.
Toss your beef in a bowl, together with a bit of seasoning and the flour to coat. The flour will help to thicken the gravy.
Melt the butter in a deep skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat. When it just begins to foam add the beef cubes in one layer. Brown deeply on all sides. Add the onion, turn the heat down to medium and cook until the onion has softened.
Pour the stock over top. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
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Partially cover and simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender and the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed. (If your gravy has not thickened, you can thicken it with a flour/water paste, stirring constantly until it thickens.)
Pour the steak filling into a pie dish and place onto a lined baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
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Unroll your pastry. Cut a round out large enough to cover the top of your pie dish completely. (I use a saucer as a template.) Place on top of the filling in the pie dish. Crimp around the edges with a fork as desired and cut a few slits into the top with a sharp knife to vent. (You can decorate or not as you desire.)
Beat the egg with a fork until light. Brush this over top of the pie.
Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is well risen, golden brown and crisp and the filling is nice and hot.
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Spoon out onto heated plates and serve with your favorite potatoes and a vegetable on the side. Today I was wanting plain boiled potatoes with a bit of butter and parsley and I enjoyed some runner beans my sister had gifted me with.
Mashed potatoes goes very well (don't forget the Bisto gravy), as does chips, which would be more than traditional. Probably peas as well.
This was really delicious. The filling was tender and juicy and well flavored. The crust was perfectly crisp and flaky. Incredibly moreish. I really enjoyed this.
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You might enjoy a few other Scottish recipes I have on here:
SCOTTISH DUNDEE CAKE - My favorite of all the fruit cakes, this is a light-colored fruit cake studded with plenty of dried currants, raisins, citrus peel and the flavor of orange. Delicious. You can bake it as a full cake or as cupcakes. Topped with almonds.
SCOTTISH OAT CAKES - Drool worthy. Crisp and buttery, oaty and topped with flaked sea salt. Nice with a few bits of cheese on the side.
SCOTTISH SNOWBALL CAKES - Sort of like a Scottish whoopie pie of two vanilla cookies/cakes sandwiched together with some jam, rolled in a glace icing and then into flaked coconut. Delicious!
Scottish Steak Pie
Yield: 2-3 people
Prep time: 2 H & 45 MCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 3 H & 25 M
A small batch recipe for a heart-warming pie that is simple to make, uses very simple ingredients, and a delicious dinner option any time of the year.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 12 ounces (3/4 pound/340g) stewing beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 TBS plain flour
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) good beef stock
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and black pepper to taste
You will also need:
- 1/2 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 small free range egg, beaten with a fork (for the wash)
Instructions
- Toss your beef in a bowl, together with a bit of seasoning and the flour to coat. The flour will help to thicken the gravy.
- Melt the butter in a deep skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat. When it just begins to foam add the beef cubes in one layer. Brown deeply on all sides. Add the onion, turn the heat down to medium and cook until the onion has softened.
- Pour the stock over top. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Partially cover and simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender and the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed. (If your gravy has not thickened, you can thicken it with a flour/water paste, stirring constantly until it thickens.)
- Pour the steak filling into a pie dish and place onto a lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
- Unroll your pastry. Cut a round out large enough to cover the top of your pie dish completely. (I use a saucer as a template.) Place on top of the filling in the pie dish. Crimp around the edges with a fork as desired and cut a few slits into the top with a sharp knife to vent. (You can decorate or not as you desire.)
- Beat the egg with a fork until light. Brush this over top of the pie.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is well risen, golden brown and crisp and the filling is nice and hot.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I hope you will forgive me for sharing another chicken recipe with you today. To be honest, I have been feeling very poorly for the past week, and I have had to dig into the archives for this one.
This is a recipe which I had cooked and photographed while I was still in the UK, but never had time to share. I thought I would share it with you today. I hope you don't mind. Oh, I know you won't because I have the nicest readers in the world.
I had really hoped that I would have started feeling better by now, but there you go. It is what it is, and whilst I am feeling somewhat better, I obviously still have a ways to go.
I am a huge fan of one dish suppers. One pan meals. Main dishes that you can cook all in one pan without having to cook things separately. This Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta Recipe is one such supper.
Its incredibly easy to make. Almost everything just gets stirred together in a skillet and cooked, with the broccoli being added at the last so as not to overcook it.
I don't know about you, but for myself, I do not like overcooked broccoli at all! It can make a broccoli hater out of even the staunchist broccoli lover!
This chicken and broccoli pasta dish makes for a really quick weeknight supper that the whole family can and will enjoy.
With plenty of tender pieces of chicken, penne pasta, crispy tender broccoli florets and a creamy white cheesy sauce that can be as high or as low fat as you like.
If you want to make it low fat use evaporated skim milk. If you don't care about the fat, use cream. Either way it is fabulously tasty!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE PAN CHICKEN BROCCOLI ALFREDO PASTA
Its actually a very short list. Its also fairly economical because it helps a small amount of chicken to go a long way!
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks (at least 6 ounces each)
- 1 tsp garlic Italian seasoning mix
- 1 3/4 cup (420ml) of well flavored chicken stock
- 1 cup (240ml) of single cream (can use evaporated milk)
- 1/2 pound (225g) uncooked penne pasta
- 1/2 head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched until crispy tender
- 1 cup (180g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
- more grated Parmesan cheese to serve
If you don't have chicken breasts you can also use boneless chicken thighs. Just make sure you trim them well. They will also take a bit longer to cook through.
I have used chicken tenders in the past as well, cut into chunks. Delicious!
As I said you can use either cream or evaporated milk. As I recall I used evaporated milk. Both work equally as well, and you really cannot taste the evaporated milk.
I always make my own seasoning mixes. You can find an extensive list here. If you wish to make your own Garlic Italian Seasoning, you can do this: Mix together 3 TBS dried basil, 3 TBS dried oregano, 3 TBS dried parsley, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
It really does have a lovely flavor.
Feel free to use frozen broccoli but bear in mind it will cook much faster than fresh broccoli and the flowery bits have a habit of knocking off of the stems, so it won't be as aesthetically pleasing.
There is no real flavor replacement for the Parmesan cheese. Pecorino perhaps. Alfredo and Parmesan are synonymous. Parmesan is Alfredo.
As is garlic which is why you want Garlic Italian Seasoning. If you don't have a Garlic Italian Seasoning, add some garlic powder when you add the other seasoning. NOT SALT. Powder. About 1/4 to 1/2 tsp should do the trick.
HOW TO MAKE ONE PAN CHICKEN BROCCOLI ALFREDO PASTA
As I said, nothing could be quick or easier.
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook, stirring frequently until lightly browned and cooked through.
Add the Italian seasoning, broth, and milk. Bring to the boil. Stir in the pasta. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
Add the broccoli during the last five minutes of cooking.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese to melt. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Serve hot, accompanied with more grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top.
Since there is a nice amount of broccoli in this you may not want to serve another cooked vegetable alongside, but I can tell you that a nice tossed salad and some crusty bread to mop up all that sauce would not go amiss!
Quick and easy? Check! No fuss no muss?! Check! All in one pan making for less to clean up? Check! Simple and delicious? Check!
This is one recipe and mid week supper that ticks all my boxes. I hope you will want to try it for yourself!
As a fan of one pan suppers myself, I can highly recommend the following:
ONE PAN CHEESY SAUSAGE PASTA- Cheesy, creamy, spicy and savory this one pan midweek supper has it all going for it! Prepare yourself to fall in love because this quick and simple recipe is destined to become a favorite! With its savory smoked sausage and creamy cheesy sauce, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions, this one pan pleaser is destined to become a meal that you will want to put on repeat in your kitchen.
CHEESY TUNA SKILLET PASTA - This Cheesy Tuna Pasta is just like your favourite Tuna Casserole, except it is cooked in a skillet. Amazingly there is no need to cook the pasta first. The pasta cooks right in the pan with everything else. This also helps to cut down on the washing up! I am all for that!
MARTHA STEWARTS ONE PAN PASTA - This simple dish is a real favorite in my house. With spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil, it has beautiful flavors. A bit of heat from some crushed chilis. It makes its own sauce in about 9 minutes! You can't go wrong!
One Pan Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This is a delicious way to spread out a small amount of chicken. Rich and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks (at least 6 ounces each)
- 1 tsp garlic Italian seasoning mix
- 1 3/4 cup (420ml) of well flavored chicken stock
- 1 cup (240ml) of single cream (can use evaporated milk)
- 1/2 pound (225g) uncooked penne pasta
- 1/2 head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched until crispy tender
- 1 cup (180g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
- more grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook, stirring frequently until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Add the Italian seasoning, broth, and milk. Bring to the boil.
- Stir in the pasta. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
- Add the broccoli during the last five minutes of cooking.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese to melt. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Serve hot, accompanied with more grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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