Our Creamy Rueben Soup is an amazing way to use up your leftover corned beef. Incredibly rich and tasty! Just like a Rueben in a bowl.
You Have to Try this Creamy Rueben Soup
Definitely not a calorie conscious soup, this cream based soup has all the flavors of a Rueben sandwich. The corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese blend together for a decadent experience. A little goes a long ways, so this recipe could easily make 10-15 servings for a soup course or pair with a salad for a nice lunch.
Ingredients
Basically, you’re using the ingredients that would go into a Rueben sandwich.
We like to make this after we cook a Corned Beef so we can use the leftovers. You can also get corned beef from the deli. Just have them cut a pound in a single chunk instead of slicing it, and cut it into bite-sized cubes.
I like a raw sauerkraut in this recipe. We drain it and rinse it before adding it so the vinegar doesn’t take over the entire flavor profile. Our favorite krauts are usually in the refrigerated section of the store, as it has a fresher flavor and stands up to the time in the crockpot a bit better. Canned kraut in the canned vegetable area also work well.
We used a pre-made beef stock in this recipe. Lots of times we’ll use our own stock as well, which really adds a bigger flavor from the stock. We just didn’t have any ready to go, and with the other flavors in this recipe, it isn’t necessary for the overall experience. If you’re interested in making your own beef stock, check out our recipe here!
The Swiss Cheese needs to melt really smooth. I normally buy a block of cheese and grate it myself instead of using pre-grated cheese. The manufacturers put a cellulose on the pre-grated cheese to keep it from sticking together in the packaging, but it doesn’t melt as smoothly. Much better to grate it yourself!
Make sure you finely dice the onion and celery. We minced our garlic, but you could finely dice it as well.
The Process
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Melt the 3 Tbsp. of butter in the pan, then sauté the onion and celery until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. Transfer to the slow cooker when done.
Add the Corned Beef, Beef Stock, Sauerkraut, Sea Salt, Caraway Seeds and Black Pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. The Corned Beef is already cooked through, so you aren’t worrying about cooking the meat, just heating everything through and combining the flavors.
Stir in the Heavy Cream and Swiss Cheese. VERY IMPORTANT: Turn the slow cooker to low at this point! You don’t want to scald the dairy products or boil the liquid off the soup. Cover and cook on low for an additional hour.
We created this video to help with any questions you have!
Wine Time
Pick a lighter red to not compete with the creamy flavor yet bring out the sour from the kraut and the salty from the corned beef. A Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would work great. Otherwise, a lighter Cab Franc (more French style than the big California version) or a red Zinfandel would compliment as well!
Creamy Rueben Soup
Course: Recipes, Soups, Soups/SaladsCuisine: IrishDifficulty: Medium12
servings15
minutes2
hours59
minutes190
kcal3
hours14
minutesOur Creamy Rueben Soup is an amazing way to use up your leftover corned beef. Incredibly rich and tasty! Just like a Rueben in a bowl.
Ingredients
1 lb cooked Corned Beef (We use leftovers when we make a corned beef, or have them cut a 1 lb chunk at the deli counter (not sandwich sliced)) and cut into chunks
1 Medium Onion – finely diced
2 Celery Ribs – finely diced
2 large cloves Garlic – minced or finely diced
3 Tbs. Butter
32 oz Beef Stock
1 cup Sauerkraut – drain and rinse
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Caraway Seeds
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 cups Heavy Cream
1-1/2 cups Swiss Cheese – Grates
Directions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Melt butter in pan. Sauté onion and celery in the butter until the onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add to the slow cooker
- Add corned beef, beef stock, sauerkraut, sea salt, caraway seeds and black pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours
- Turn slow cooker to low. Add heavy cream and Swiss cheese. Cover and cook 1 additional hour