Broccoli leafs a mark on this sandwich

This week I’m turning an often boring vegetable into a great sandwich. I hated broccoli when I was a kid but I’ve become a bit more of a fan of it as I have gotten older. But this sandwich I’m writing about today is certainly become my way to enjoy broccoli’s tiny green trucks and leaves.

What is this sandwich?

This sandwich is based on a sandwich that I’ve only read about but never actually tried. It’s the Reuben Brocc from Court Street Grocers in New York City. Basically, it’s a Reuben with the meat option replaced with roasted broccoli.

At first, I thought, this didn’t sound like it would be anywhere near as good as a corned beef or pastrami Reuben, but after making it and eating it a few times, my mind was definitely changed. The broccoli addition just works. It brings texture and flavor to the sandwich and because of this, you don’t miss the meat as much as you might expect.

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The best part of this sandwich is how it shows that there are a lot of options in a Reuben and in this sandwich blog post we’re going to explore some of that.

Broccoli should be the default option for a Reuben alternative

First off, I can definitely see how some folks might actually prefer the broccoli version due to the flavor and texture that the vegetable provides. After making broccoli Reubens and enjoying them a few times this past year it really made sense why Court Street Grocers has chosen to use broccoli as their vegetarian option for a Reuben.

After thinking about this topic while eating these sandwiches, here’s my list as to why any restaurant with a meat-focused Reuben sandwich should have broccoli as an alternative option to their corned beef or pastrami.

• broccoli is fairly inexpensive
• the broccoli component in this sandwich is simply seasoned and easy to cook
• if you cook the broccoli in the oven you can cook a bunch at once
• you can cook broccoli in advance and reheat it when making and grilling the sandwich
• broccoli is a consistently available vegetable all year round

All of these reasons, plus the fact that broccoli works well in this sandwich have convinced me that if you own a restaurant with a Reuben, you’re missing out on a really good vegetarian option here.

First, we need to bake some bread and I chose to focus on a New York deli favorite, the rye sandwich loaf.

Rye sandwich loaf

A good Reuben is typically served on rye bread. If you’ve never had it, rye bread typically produces a denser slice than white bread or even sourdough. This is because rye flour has a lot less gluten in it than all-purpose or other white flours. One hundred percent rye dough also rises much slower than white bread dough so it’s often necessary to blend the two—this recipe is roughly 30 percent rye flour and 70 percent all-purpose flour.

Rye bread that’s normally used for sandwiches in the United States will often have caraway seeds in it which lends an aroma and flavor that you just don’t get in regular buns or loaves of white bread. Rye flour also contributes some nuttiness to the finished slices as well. So this recipe produces some fun, flavorful bread that you can pair with roasted broccoli.

For my rye loaf recipe, I typically apply an egg wash to the loaf right before it goes into the oven. This egg wash—which consists of one whole egg and a tablespoon of water—will help the loaf brown and it will give the resulting bread a shiny exterior.

You don’t have to add an egg wash though and I did not do so on one of the loaves that I made for these sandwiches. The bread will still brown, it just doesn’t brown quite as much and it has a much more dull appearance. I took a few pictures of examples of loaves with and without an egg wash here.

With or without an egg wash the interior of the bread should still look the same. As I wrote above, this will be a much denser slice of bread than a piece of homemade white bread. But the density of rye bread really helps with a Reuben or patty melt.

Below is my rye sandwich bread recipe. It’s a good tasty loaf that isn’t any harder to make than a loaf of white bread so give it a shot.

Rye sandwich loaf

Recipe Card

2 hours and 55 minutes

Rye sandwich loaf

This rye loaf is sturdy and flavorful. Perfect for your next patty melt or chicken schnitzel sandwich.

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Roasted or sauteed broccoli

This sandwich requires some cooked broccoli that has been cut into small-ish pieces tossed with olive oil and then seasoned with salt, pepper, and/or your choice of other spices.

I have made this sandwich a few times and I have used two different types of broccoli that I bought from the store. Or maybe I should say that I’ve used the same type of broccoli but instead, two different ways to buy it. I’ve purchased whole heads of broccoli to cut down and I’ve used broccoli that has already been cut into small florets.

It doesn’t matter. Use either one. Buying florets probably saves you about 1 whole minute, so buy the broccoli that looks the best or whatever is cheapest. It will cook the same.

Stovetop vs oven

I cooked broccoli in two different ways for this sandwich. The first way was in a skillet on the stove and the second way was on a pan in the oven. I think I ended up preferring the oven method because it just required a lot less hands-on time. I put instructions for both techniques in the full recipe down below, but as I said, when I make this again I will be using the oven method. It’s easier.

That’s the broccoli sorted so now we need to start on the other Reuben components.

Kraut or slaw?

Sauerkaut

I’ve made sauerkraut a few times but for this particular sandwich, I bought storebought kraut. We like this Cleveland brand classic sauerkraut and it’s often in the fridge because my wife likes to make simple turkey Reubens fairly often for lunch.

I’ve also enjoyed a quick kraut recipe that I found from a chef named Michael Voltaggio where all the ingredients are added to a bowl and then cooked in the microwave for about 5 minutes and then it all has to rest for an additional 15 minutes and that’s it. I used this recipe as one of the options in my Reuben on my rye blog post and really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the recipe.

Coleslaw

I personally prefer kraut as the veggie component on my Reuben sandwiches but you do sometimes see coleslaw taking up that position—especially in turkey Reuben variants. For this broccoli Reuben I used kraut but if I were going to use slaw I would use my favorite slaw recipe which is my Eastern North Carolina-style slaw. It works great in a Reuben as a kraut alternative.

Reuben sauce options

I think in the United States most Reubens are probably sold or served with Thousand Island dressing as the sauce. I think this because it’s much easier to find Thousand Island dressing than it is to find Russian dressing. They both take about the same amount of effort to make from scratch though, but I would guess that most restaurants that serve Reuben sandwiches aren’t making their own sauce (they probably should be).

What is comeback sauce?

Court Street Grocers (the sandwich restaurant that makes the broccoli Reuben sandwich I’m writing about in this blog post) uses a sauce called Comeback sauce.

Comeback sauce was invented in Mississippi and from my understanding it was primarily used for dipping French fries into. Wikipedia says comeback sauce was invented in Jackson Mississippi at a restaurant called The Rotisserie.

If you’re not sure that you’ve ever tried comeback sauce, you might be surprised. My friend, Dennis Lee, wrote an article about comeback sauce for The Takeout. Dennis mentions that comeback sauce and Raising Cane’s famous dipping sauce is fairly similar. I’ve had Cane’s sauce before and it did remind me of a peppery Thousand Island without the pickles, which is very similar to the flavors in comeback sauce.

I made a batch of comeback sauce for these broccoli Reubens because Court Street Grocers uses this style of sauce in their sandwich. I think comeback sauce works pretty well in a Reuben if you’re using sauerkraut because the kraut brings some pickle-like tartness that is missing from the dressing. If you’re using slaw, I think Thousand Island works better (this is how I put things together in my turkey Reuben post earlier this year).

Sauce comparisons

Russian dressing, Thousand Island dressing, and Comeback sauce are very similar in appearance and there are some similarities in flavor. First off, they’re all creamy because they are all built on a base of mayonnaise. They all share paprika and other red-colored additions which gives each sauce a light pink to orange hue. All three contain things that bring some acidity to the party like vinegar, lemon juice, pickles, or horseradish.

In my experience, you can’t really go wrong with any of these sauces in a Reuben. It’s up to your personal preference.

My sauce recipe ingredients

This part isn’t really that helpful unless I standardized the amounts in each sauce but I am listing the ingredients of each of my sauce recipes here anyway. Scroll a bit further for full printable links to recipes for all three sauces.

Reuben sauce options w/ recipes

These are the dressings/sauces that I use in my Reubens and patty melts. You can buy dressing if you want, but these are all easy to make if you have the ingredients.

Russian dressing

Here’s the Russian dressing recipe that I use. It’s a tiny bit spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Especially once it’s inside of bread, mixed with meat and cheese.

Thousand island dressing

This is the Thousand Island dressing recipe I use. I sort of lean toward this particular sauce mostly because of its pickle element. It seems right for a Reuben.

Comeback sauce

This is the sauce recipe that I created for this Broccoli Reuben. I think it works pretty well in the sandwich but my wife said she thinks she prefers Thousand Island because of the tang that the pickle addition brings to the final sandwich and I totally get what she means.

Comeback sauce

Recipe Card

5 minutes

Comeback sauce

Here's a zippy, easy-to-make sauce with just a bit of spice that's great as a dip for french fries or chicken tenders.

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You can choose your own adventure with sauces in a Reuben. Pick what sounds good to you and give it a shot. They should all work just fine.

Griddle process

Once you have all the ingredients on hand, it’s time to cook the sandwich. Build each sandwich and add butter to the exterior. Griddle or pan fry the sandwiches over low heat and use the cover over the pan or cover the sandwich with a large metal bowl to lock in the heat. This will help to warm the interior of the sandwich and melt the cheese.

Cook the sandwich until it’s golden brown on the exterior and then allow the sandwiches to rest for about two minutes on a cooling rack. If you place a pan-fried sandwich directly on a plate or cutting board it will steam itself and you’ll lose any of the crunch on the exterior of the bread.

Broccoli Reuben sandwich photos and recipe

Here are some photos of the broccoli Reubens I made while testing this recipe. Speaking of which, the recipe is just down below the photos. Keep scrolling if that’s what you’re looking for.

If you consistently have a problem with getting the cheese melty before the exterior of the bread browns too much, you can build the sandwich halfway, then broil it open-faced with the cheese exposed, and then put the sandwich together. Now when you griddle the sandwich all you have to worry about is getting the bread to the color you like.

Broccoli reuben

Recipe

Broccoli reuben

This fantastic alternative for a Reuben brings big texture and flavor to an already great sandwich. Roasted or sauteed broccoli is an easy-to-cook addition and you won't miss the meat.

Tags: broccoli sauerkraut swiss cheese

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by Jonathan Surratt

Ingredients:

Comeback sauce (you can use Thousand Island or Russian dressing if you prefer)

• ³⁄₄ cup mayonnaise
• ¹⁄₄ cup chili sauce (I use Heinz brand)
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon onion powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon paprika
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper

roasted or sauteed broccoli

• 1 head broccoli (or 1.5 cups of florets)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced (only used if cooking on the stovetop - do not bake)

Sandwich construction and grilling

• 4 rye bread slices
• comeback sauce (from above)
• roasted or sauteed broccoli (from above)
• sauerkraut (or coleslaw)
• 2 to 4 slices of Swiss cheese
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter

Direct Link to Recipe

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Directions:

Comeback sauce: combine all comeback sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine well. 

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Broccoli: if you are using a head of broccoli, chop off the ends about 1.5 to 2 inches down from the tops of the leaves to create florets or small pieces of broccoli. This recipe does not use the large trunk of the head of broccoli. You should have around 1.5 cups of florets. 

Now you need to decide if you are going to roast the broccoli or saute it in a pan on the stove.

Roasting broccoli: preheat your oven to 400 F (205 C). Add all of the florets to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Arrange on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. After the broccoli is roasted remove it from the pan to a cutting board.

Sauteeing broccoli: place a medium pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is shimmering add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and finely minced garlic and cook for an addition 4 to 5 minutes or until the broccoli is starting to soften and might be getting a little browned from the heat. Turn off the heat and remove the broccoli to a cutting board. 

Chop the broccoli into smaller sized pieces about the size of a nickel. 

Sandwich assembly: add a generous layer of comeback sauce on the bottom slice of bread. Top with half of the cooked and chopped broccoli. 

Then add a couple of spoons full of sauerkraut and half of the Swiss cheese. Complete the sandwich with more comeback sauce spread on the top slice of rye bread.

Grilling/griddling: preheat a large pan or griddle on the stove over medium-low heat. Butter the outside of the top of the sandwiches. After the pan or griddle has heated up for 4 or 5 minutes flip the sandwich over, butter side down, into the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on the first side.

Add butter to the top of the sandwich while it is in the pan. After 3 minutes on the first side, flip the sandwich again, butter side down, and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. Depending on the color of the bread, you may want to flip and cook again a couple more times until the outside of the sandwich is golden brown and crispy. 

Remove the sandwiches from the pan/griddle and allow them to rest on a cooling rack for 2 minutes before serving.

Serve and enjoy. 

Check back next week

Next week I will be sharing a year’s recap of blog posts and writing about some of my favorite sandwiches that I made in 2024. The Monday after that will be 2025 and I’ve been told we’re supposed to have flying cars in 2025!