Description

This rich and creamy Reuben soup combines tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese in a velvety half-and-half base, topped with broiled rye bread for the perfect textural contrast.

Ingredients

For the Soup Base:

3 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon
3 cups half-and-half cream

For the Reuben Flavors:

3 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
8 ounces shredded corned beef
1 cup sauerkraut, drained

For the Topping:

8 slices rye bread, toasted and cut into triangles

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Instructions

Step 1: Build Your Base

Melt the butter in your large saucepan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and celery, stirring until they get soft and smell amazing – about 5 minutes. Mix in that flour until everything’s smooth and no lumps remain.

Step 2: Add the Liquid

Here’s where patience pays off – slowly pour in the water while whisking like crazy to avoid lumps. Drop in those bouillon cubes and bring everything to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat way down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Make it Creamy

Stir in the half-and-half, then add 1 cup of Swiss cheese (save the rest for later). Add your corned beef and drained sauerkraut. Keep stirring gently as everything melts together – this takes about 30 minutes until it gets nice and thick.

Step 4: Prep for the Finale

While your soup’s doing its thing, fire up your broiler and toast those rye bread slices. Cut them into triangles because they look fancy and fit better in the bowls.

Step 5: The Grand Finale

Ladle that beautiful soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each one with a piece of toasted rye, then pile on the remaining Swiss cheese. Slide them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese gets all bubbly and golden.

Notes

Low heat is your friend. High heat will ruin everything and you’ll be scraping burnt cheese off your pot for hours.

Fresh cheese beats bagged cheese every single time. The bagged stuff has weird powdery coating that doesn’t melt right.

Cook that flour for at least a minute or your soup will taste like paste. Nobody wants paste soup.

Add liquid super slowly or you’ll get lumpy soup and have to start over. Been there, done that, learned the hard way.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American