A classic Reuben is a sandwich consisting of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing between slices of rye bread that is grilled until the bread is crispy and the cheese melts. Pastrami can be used for these sandwiches, as well. When it comes to corned beef vs pastrami, the difference is in the type of meat, seasonings, and cooking methods. The origin of the Reuben sandwich is not clear, but it is thought that it was created around 1914 by Arnold Reuben, who was the owner of Reuben's Restaurant in NYC. Others have claimed that the sandwich was created by Nebraska grocer, Reuben Kolakofsky.
A typical reuben sandwich will be well over 500 calories (if done properly.) Stuffed full of corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauce, what's not to love about it? The Rubin Family of 5 loves, loves, loves Reuben sandwiches, but we do not love the calories. So, I was on a mission to find a low calorie way to get the flavor without the cost. I decided to give the Reuben egg rolls a try. I was pleasantly surprise to learn that one Reuben egg roll totaled 227 calories, are so easy to make, and are a great way to have a welcomed bite of the Reuben flavors without all the calories.
I decided to us pastrami instead of corned beef, Jarlesberg Swiss cheese from the deli, locally made Small Town Cultures Big Deal Sauerkraut (it is pink (red cabbage), not white), Twin Dragon pre-packaged egg roll wrappers and some Pics Russian dressing. Place the egg roll wrapper pointing at you on the counter (so that it looks diamond-shaped in front of you), place the cheese, corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, then Russian dressing and start rolling.
Once they are rolled up, make sure you spritz or brush them with water to seal, then oil. Any dry area will just remain dry as it cooks so be sure to coat the entire roll. Then, pop them into your air fryer basket and start air-frying! I have the Ninja® Foodi® 6.5 qt. 11-in-1 Pro Pressure Cooker + Air Fryer with Stainless Finish. They take no time at all, but you do want to flip them over halfway through their 10 minute cooking time. Put out a little more Russian dressing as a dipping sauce and get ready to snack!
The crispy outside and perfectly melted inside with the flavor of everything melted together...delish.
Ingredients
8 egg roll wrappers
1/4 pound Swiss cheese
1/2 pound corned beef or pastrami
1 cup sauerkraut
1/2 cup Russian dressing
vegetable oil or spray
Russian dressing
Directions
Slice Swiss cheese and corned beef or pastrami into thin matchstick slices. Set aside.
Measure sauerkraut out and squeeze out excess water in a paper towel.
If you are able to, lay all 8 egg roll wrappers out on the counter, with one of the points facing towards you (it should look like a diamond). Working in the corner closest to you, evenly distribute and layer the 1/2 ounce Swiss cheese, 1 ounce corned beef and 1 ounce sauerkraut, topped with 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing on each egg roll wrapper.
Brush a little water around all sides of the egg roll wrapper. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper pointing toward you tightly up over the filling pushing out any air pockets. Fold the left corner in toward the center over the filling and then the right corner over the center so it looks like an envelope. Tightly roll the bottom up towards the top open corner to seal the egg roll. Brush with a little additional water if needed to seal the edges. Repeat this seven times with the remaining ingredients to make 8 egg rolls.
Preheat AIR FRYER to 370 degrees F.
Spray all sides of the egg rolls with oil and rub with your hands to evenly coat.
Air-fry the egg rolls in two batches, four at a time, for 10 minutes, turning the rolls over halfway through.
Serve with some additional Russian dressing for dipping. (Optional)
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