I first had Reuben soup in Ireland a few years ago, though it wasn’t called Reuben soup. Rather, it was listed on the menu as sauerkraut soup. While the name didn’t send my taste buds into a frenzy, it did sound intriguing because I do like sauerkraut. What I didn’t realize, however, is that it had all the makings of a Reuben, including slow-cooked corned beef that was fork-tender with every bite, homemade sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and caraway seeds.
When I got home, I went on the hunt for Reuben soup in the Chattanooga area and could not find any, so I did what any cook would do: I made some myself, having found a recipe at Taste of Home. On my first taste of it, though, I realized something was missing. To me, a good Reuben needs the tangy taste of mustard. Not some fancy mustard, just some good yellow mustard.
(READ MORE: Homemade corned beef makes best Reuben sandwich)
I played around with the recipe a little, adding more chicken stock as the soup thickened, but I added too much. To fix that, I made a slurry of chicken stock and flour, stirring that into the soup until it thickened a little and the consistency was perfect. The recipe I found also called for bottled Thousand Island dressing, which I did not have. So I stirred some up myself because it’s so easy to make with just mayonnaise, ketchup, a dash of Worcestershire and some pickle relish.
As we celebrate all things Irish, stir up a pot of this delicious soup, and I hope the luck o’ the Irish comes your way!