A love of two classic dishes results in a Reuben pizza
If I could only have one sandwich for the rest of my life, it would be a Reuben. Growing up, though, I was a super picky eater. I don't know what it was about the Reuben sandwich that my picky self thought “sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, pickles, Swiss cheese and corned beef? Yes, please!”
But I am so happy I did. Now many, many years later, I know why I love the combination: the buttery grilled bread, the saltiness of the corned beef and cheese and then the acidic punch of the sauerkraut balanced with the sweetness of the dressing. It's perfection!
Those who know me in real life know my true love is pizza. It only made perfect sense then to take my favorite sandwich and turn it into a pizza. I first wrote this recipe in 2010 but have realized that the rye flour I used back then, while it tasted OK, didn't lend itself to the perfect chew/crispness of my pizza dough. So this time around, I added caraway seeds to the dough, giving a nod to a classic Reuben's rye bread.
You don't have to toast the caraway seeds because they will toast in the oven, as I cook my pizza at 500 degrees. I promise that if you love a Reuben sandwich as much as I do, you will love this pizza. Side note: if you are wondering why I put yogurt into my pizza dough, it's because I am diabetic, and the addition of the protein helps my blood sugar not spike so high.
This pizza will be a fun twist on your St. Patrick's Day celebrations. You can also use the remaining Thousand Island dressing to dip your Reuben pizza - so good.
Be sure to let me know if you make this. Cheers!
Follow My Bizzy Kitchen's Biz Velatini on her blog at mybizzykitchen.com/, on Instagram at instagram.com/mybizzy kitchen/?hl=en and Facebook at facebook.com/mybizzykitchen.
Reuben Pizza
For the dough
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
½ to ¾ cup water
In a bowl, mix the flour, yeast and salt together. Stir in the yogurt. Slowly add the water. Mix until you've added just under ½ cup of water. Using a fork or your hands, mix until all the flour has been incorporated, adding only a tablespoon at a time until it comes together.
Put plastic wrap on the bowl, and store in the microwave for 12 hours. You can make it in the morning, then put in the refrigerator before bed, or make at night and refrigerate in the morning. The dough is good in the fridge for up to 7 days, and gets more flavorful as it sits in the fridge. Simply wet your hands to pull out the dough so it doesn't stick to your hands.
Makes 2, 10- to 12-inch pizzas (depending on how thin you roll it)
For the Thousand Island Dressing (enough for two large pizzas)
¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
¼ cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup chopped dill pickle
1 teaspoon dill pickle juice
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
For the pizza:
10 ounces pizza dough
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
4 ounces chopped corned beef, diced
1 cup sauerkraut, squeezed dry
2 ounces shredded baby Swiss cheese
2 ounces shredded provolone cheese
½ of Thousand Island dressing above
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickle
Heat oven to 500 degrees.
Mix Thousand Island dressing. Set aside.
Roll out dough, sprinkle caraway seeds and knead until the seeds are combined. Add dough to parchment paper and roll out to desired thickness.
Use ½ of the Thousand Island dressing as the sauce. Top with sauerkraut and then top with the cheeses and add diced corned beef. Sprinkle with dried parsley and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Garnish with dill pickles when it comes out of the oven.