Hearty Reuben Soup
Submitted by lucyhazel83
Hearty reuben soup with corned beef brisket, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and dark beer, finished with melty swiss cheese and pumpernickel croutons. Every bite of a classic deli reuben in a bowl.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
4 hrsREADY
4 hrsTake every last thing you love about a corned beef reuben on rye and turn it into a deep, stick-to-your-ribs soup. Tender cubes of brisket, tangy sauerkraut, sliced red cabbage, and a full bottle of dark beer simmer together into broth that tastes like it’s been on the back of the stove all day.
Slow-simmering the brisket from scratch pulls every bit of flavor into the stock, but a deli shortcut works too if you’re short on time. The real signature is the seasoning sauce, a butter and flour roux whisked with tomato paste, paprika, and caraway seed until it turns brick red and glossy.
Skip the croutons and cheese at your peril. Shredded swiss melts into ropes across the surface and pumpernickel cubes turn the whole thing into a proper reuben experience, crunch and all.
Chef Tips
- Skim the scum off the corned beef stock aggressively in the first 30 minutes or your soup will turn muddy.
- Rinse the sauerkraut before adding. Straight from the jar it overpowers the beef and cabbage.
- Cook the roux until it’s light tan, not white. Raw flour flavor will haunt the finished soup otherwise.
- Toast the pumpernickel croutons hard. Soft bread dissolves into mush the second it hits hot broth.
Variations
- Shortcut version: buy cooked corned beef from the deli and use 8 cups of beef stock instead of simmering from scratch.
- Swap dark beer for a dry stout to deepen the malty backbone.
- Stir in a spoonful of horseradish right before serving for a sharper, more sandwich-like bite.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse the corned beef under running water and place in a large dutch oven.
Cover with cold water and bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 3½ hours.
Remove the meat from the hot stock and allow to cool.
Trim away any and all fat, then cut the brisket into 1 inch cubes.
Set aside.
Measure out 8 cups of the stock and discard the remainder.
In the same pot, measure 7 cups of the reserved stock and bring to a boil.
Add the sauerkraut, cabbage, beer onions, garlic and dijon mustard.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
Meanwhile, make the seasoning sauce.
In a large skillet, melt the butter, then stir in the flour.
Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the flour is a light tan color.
Stir in the tomato paste then the last cup of the reserved cooking liquid.
Stir in the paprika and the caraway seed.
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
Transfer the seasoning sauce to the soup pot, and add the cubed corned beef.
Cook about 5 minutes or until heated through.
Serve in individual bowls, garnished with the pumpernickel croutons and the shredded swiss cheese.
If desired, you can purchase corned beef from the deli, and substitute beef stock for the cooking liquid.
Comments
recipe states 8 cups vegetable oil. I believe it should read 8 cups reserved stock.
Thanks for your comment, absolutely should be 8 cups of vegetable stock, just updated the recipe, enjoy our website!