These turkey reuben patty melts are hearty rye bread sandwiches stuffed with lean turkey patties, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Comfort food with a healthy-ish twist.
These turkey reuben patty melts are an ingenious mashup of a couple American classics. Ground turkey lends an air of healthfulness to what’s essentially a grilled cheese sandwich but with all the familiar, comforting goodness of the original.–Angie Zoobkoff
☞ Contents
Turkey Reuben Patty Melts
Ingredients
For the Russian dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade Sriracha sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons minced store-bought or homemade bread-and-butter pickles
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the sandwich
- 1 2/3 cups store-bought or homemade sauerkraut
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Four slices Swiss cheese
- 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter
- 8 slices whole-grain rye bread
Directions
Make the Russian dressing
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
Make the sandwich
- Over a colander or fine-mesh sieve, gently squeeze and drain the sauerkraut to remove any excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, dill, salt, pepper, and 1⁄4 cup of the sauerkraut and mix thoroughly.
- With damp hands, mold the turkey mixture into 4 oval or rectangular patties about 6 inches (15 cm) long (roughly the length of your slices of bread) and 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick and place them on a piece of parchment or wax paper.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm 1 teaspoon of the oil or butter. When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully add the patties to the skillet and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- To assemble, spread 1 side of each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon Russian dressing. Place 1 turkey patty on each of 4 bread slices and top each patty with about 1/3 cup sauerkraut and a slice of cheese.
- Close the sandwiches with the remaining 4 slices of bread, dressing side down. Lightly brush the outside of each sandwich with about 1 teaspoon oil or butter.
- Wipe out the skillet used for the turkey patties and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. When it’s hot, add 2 of the sandwiches to the skillet and place another heavy skillet on top. Cook until the outside is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
- Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately.
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
These reuben-inspired patty melts were awesome and the whole family loved them. The turkey patties stayed very moist and tender and the addition of sauerkraut and Swiss cheese really elevated this sandwich. Will definitely make again.
Originally published March 24, 2020
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Robyn O.
My family loved these reuben patty melts! We had them on a Sunday night. I think they were the perfect type of dinner at the end of the weekend. Would also be a good Friday night dinner. I had planned to serve them with kale chips, but the kale didn’t look great, so we just had them by themselves.
Next time I would butter the bread with salted butter on the outside before grilling rather than use olive oil. I struggled a bit with the olive oil getting too hot or smoking as it has a low smoke point. Overall, great comfort food.