REUBEN SANDWICH SOUP

Feeds 6

One of my absolute favorite sandwiches in the world feels impossible to replicate without gluten. Corned beef, sauerkraut, strong mustard, and Swiss cheese? They’re all gluten-free, naturally. But a great sour rye bread? That’s hard to do without rye flour. I miss the Reuben sandwich. So one day, Danny and I took all the flavors and spices of our favorite sandwiches and made a hearty soup with it instead. This one might just knock off your socks.

Prepare to make the soup. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Sear the corned beef. Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil. When the oil is hot, sear one piece of the corned beef. Cook until the bottom is browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over the meat and brown the other side. Transfer the corned beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.

Cook the aromatics. Add the onions to the hot oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are deep brown and reduced in volume, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is browned but not burned. Add the rosemary, thyme, mustard seeds, and caraway seeds and cook, stirring, until their scents are released, about 2 minutes. Pour in the reserved liquid and spices from the corned beef package and stir.

Deglaze with red wine. Pour the wine over the onions and spices and stir, scraping any crisp bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced in volume by half, 5 to 7 minutes.

Simmer the soup. Add the sauerkraut and cook, stirring, until it is fully incorporated and hot. Pour in beef stock. Bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat. Put the Dutch oven into the hot oven and cover it. Let the soup simmer until you can take a fork and gently shred the corned beef apart with ease, 2 to 3 hours. Take the soup pot out of the oven. Turn on the broiler.

Finish the soup. Add the sliced cabbage to the soup and stir. When the cabbage is wilted, spoon the soup into four oven-safe soup bowls. Top each bowl of soup with a slice of Swiss cheese. Put the soup bowls under the broiler and watch them closely. As soon as the cheese is melted and bubbly over the top of the soup, turn off the broiler and take out the soup. Serve immediately.